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

And Tuesday, flights slowed to a crawl in Atlanta and an air traffic control tower was evacuated for 10 minutes as fears of a nearby tornado grew. —Kathryn Prociv, NBC news, 26 Nov. 2025

The National Weather Service on Tuesday had confirmed at least two tornadoes, one in Cypress with winds up to 105 mph (168 kph) and another around the community of Klein with winds up to 115 mph (185 kph). —Juan A. Lozano, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025

The National Weather Service on Tuesday had confirmed at least two tornadoes, one in Cypress with winds up to 110 mph and another around the community of Klein, with winds up to 116 mph. —Arkansas Online, 26 Nov. 2025

A day after a tornado smashed through the Houston area, Southerners were on guard for more severe weather just as travel ramps up for the Thanksgiving holiday. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for tornado

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

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