variants
also tsunami
as in seas
a very high, large wave in the ocean that is usually caused by an earthquake under the sea and that can cause great destruction when it reaches land
The coastline will suffer devastating damage if a tsunami ever hits it.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tsunamis
The production was plagued by hurricanes, tsunami warnings, stinging jellyfish and several injuries — including Costner, who almost died while riding out a storm stranded atop a mast after his safety line had snapped.
—
Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
In 2021, a paper from University of California, Irvine assistant professor Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi detailed the devastating effects a powerful coronal mass ejection – or a ‘solar tsunami’ – could have on our internet-reliant world.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
People who run hospitals, who run clinics are saying there is a tsunami coming to this state, this nation.
—ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
Swift’s 149-show, five-continent expedition encapsulated a tsunami of emotions not just among her fans, but her own journey through a very public breakup, a fling and, as indicated by her engagement to Kelce, knee-buckling love.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
The only way Big D could possibly have a chance at being competitive in games is if their offense could outrun the tsunami of points coming from the other team.
—J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), which recorded multiple aftershocks close to the epicenter in the hours after the initial earthquake, canceled a tsunami alert for the Leyte, Biliran and Cebu provinces early Wednesday local time.
—Brandon Miller, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Initially, a tsunami warning was issued and residents in Cebu and the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran to avoid coastlines because of possible waves up to 3 feet.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
The reactor core and used nuclear fuel must be cooled to prevent them overheating and triggering dangerous meltdowns like the ones that occurred in 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima plant in Japan.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2025
Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
In 2021, a paper from University of California, Irvine assistant professor Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi detailed the devastating effects a powerful coronal mass ejection – or a ‘solar tsunami’ – could have on our internet-reliant world.
—Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
People who run hospitals, who run clinics are saying there is a tsunami coming to this state, this nation.
—ABC News, 5 Oct. 2025
Swift’s 149-show, five-continent expedition encapsulated a tsunami of emotions not just among her fans, but her own journey through a very public breakup, a fling and, as indicated by her engagement to Kelce, knee-buckling love.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
The only way Big D could possibly have a chance at being competitive in games is if their offense could outrun the tsunami of points coming from the other team.
—J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), which recorded multiple aftershocks close to the epicenter in the hours after the initial earthquake, canceled a tsunami alert for the Leyte, Biliran and Cebu provinces early Wednesday local time.
—Brandon Miller, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Initially, a tsunami warning was issued and residents in Cebu and the nearby provinces of Leyte and Biliran to avoid coastlines because of possible waves up to 3 feet.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
The reactor core and used nuclear fuel must be cooled to prevent them overheating and triggering dangerous meltdowns like the ones that occurred in 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima plant in Japan.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tsunamis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tsunamis. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share