tornado

noun

tor·​na·​do tȯr-ˈnā-(ˌ)dō 

plural tornadoes or tornados

1

a

: a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that progresses in a narrow path over the land

b

: a squall accompanying a thunderstorm in Africa

2

: a violent windstorm : whirlwind

3

archaic : a tropical thunderstorm

Examples of tornado in a Sentence

in the path of a tornado

Recent Examples on the Web

Strong winds, tornadoes, and flooding will likely cause power outages and downed trees. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024

Torrential rain, strong winds capable of causing significant power outages and the threat of tornadoes will stretch into the region. —Mary Gilbert, CNN, 24 Sep. 2024

The tornado risk is expected to expand to a larger area Thursday and could linger into Friday. —John Bacon, USA TODAY, 12 Sep. 2024

The threat for isolated tornadoes will continue through Thursday morning, especially in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. —Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

modification of Spanish tronada thunderstorm, from tronar to thunder, from Latin tonare — more at thunder entry 1

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

tornado

noun

tor·​na·​do tȯr-ˈnād-ō 

plural tornadoes or tornados

: a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that moves in a narrow path over the land