tornado
Americannoun
plural
tornadoes, tornados-
Meteorology. a potentially violent and destructive system of atmospheric circulation, characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris: although tornadoes have occurred on all continents except Antarctica, they are most common in the United States, especially in the area known as Tornado Alley.
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Meteorology. a violent squall or whirlwind of small extent, as one of those occurring during the summer on the west coast of Africa.
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a violent outburst, as of emotion or activity.
The weekly tornado has arrived—in the form of my three grandchildren and their two dogs.
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Military. Tornado, a supersonic, two-seat, multipurpose military aircraft produced jointly by West Germany, Britain, and Italy and capable of flying in darkness and bad weather.
noun
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Also called: cyclone. twister. a violent storm with winds whirling around a small area of extremely low pressure, usually characterized by a dark funnel-shaped cloud causing damage along its path
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a small but violent squall or whirlwind, such as those occurring on the West African coast
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any violently active or destructive person or thing
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(often capital) a type of dinghy, designed to be crewed by two people
Discover More
Tornadoes occur chiefly during thunderstorms.
Tornadoes are common in the Middle West.
If the tip of the funnel touches the ground, it can cause extensive damage.
Other Word Forms
- tornadic adjective
- tornado-like adjective
- tornadolike adjective
Etymology
Origin of tornado
First recorded in 1550–60; apparently by metathesis from Spanish tronada “thunderstorm,” noun use of feminine of tronado, past participle of tronar, from Latin tonāre “to thunder”; replacing 16th-century ternado, with unexplained e
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the eldest child in a big family, Evie longs for some alone time, but the “wild tornado” of her younger siblings—Wolfie, Bunnie and Teddy—follows her wherever she goes.
The NWS also warned of the possibility of “small” or “weak” tornadoes — although none had been reported as of Monday morning.
From Los Angeles Times
“There’s 30% to 40% chance of thunderstorms on Monday. We could see damaging wind gusts, intense rainfall, water spouts or brief, weak tornadoes.”
From Los Angeles Times
After software stocks fell on fears that AI would render those firms’ offerings obsolete, the tornado swept through other supposedly vulnerable sectors, notably financial services, commercial real estate, trucking, and logistics.
From Barron's
After software stocks fell on fears that AI would render those firms’ offerings obsolete, the tornado swept through other supposedly vulnerable sectors, notably financial services, commercial real estate, trucking, and logistics.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
