storm
Meanings
noun
- Any disturbed state of the atmosphere causing destructive or unpleasant weather, especially one affecting the earth's surface involving strong winds (leading to high waves at sea) and usually lightning, thunder, and precipitation.
- A heavy fall of precipitation (hail, rain, or snow) or bout of lightning and thunder without strong winds; a hail storm, rainstorm, snowstorm, or thunderstorm.
- Synonym of cyclone (“a weather phenomenon consisting of a system of winds rotating around a centre of low atmospheric pressure”).
- A period of frosty and/or snowy weather.
- A disturbed state of the atmosphere between a severe or strong gale and a hurricane on the modern Beaufort scale, with a wind speed of between 89 and 102 kilometres per hour (55–63 miles per hour; 10 on the scale, known as a "storm" or whole gale), or of between 103 and 117 kilometres per hour (64–72 miles per hour; 11 on the scale, known as a "violent storm").
- A heavy expulsion or fall of things (as blows, objects which are thrown, etc.).
- A violent agitation of human society; a domestic, civil, or political commotion.
- A violent commotion or outbreak of sounds, speech, thoughts, etc.; also, an outpouring of emotion.
- Chiefly with a qualifying word: a violent attack of diease, pain, physiological reactions, symptoms, etc.; a paroxysm.
- Ellipsis of storm window (“a second window (originally detachable) attached on the exterior side of a window in climates with harsh winters, to add an insulating layer of still air between the outside and inside”).
verb
- Preceded by the dummy subject it: to have strong winds and usually lightning and thunder, and/or hail, rain, or snow.
- To make (someone or something) stormy; to agitate (someone or something) violently.
- To disturb or trouble (someone).
- To use (harsh language).
- To violently assault (a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.) with the aim of gaining control of it.
- To assault or gain control or power over (someone's heart, mind, etc.).
- To catch up (on production output) by making frenzied or herculean efforts.
- To protect (seed-hay) from stormy weather by putting sheaves of them into small stacks.
- Of the weather: to be violent, with strong winds and usually lightning and thunder, and/or hail, rain, or snow.
- To be exposed to harsh (especially cold) weather.
- To move noisily and quickly like a storm (noun etymology 1, noun sense 1), usually in a state of anger or uproar.
- To move quickly in the course of an assault on a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.
noun
- A violent assault on a fortified position or stronghold.
name
- A unisex given name.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
From Middle English storm (“disturbed state of the atmosphere; heavy precipitation; battle, conflict; attack”) [and other forms], from Old English storm (“tempest, storm; attack; storm of arrows; disquiet, disturbance, tumult, uproar; onrush, rush”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *sturm (“storm”), from Proto-Germanic *sturmaz (“storm”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to agitate, stir up; to propel; to urge on”). Related to stir. Cognates * Danish storm (“storm”) * Dutch storm (“storm”) * German Sturm (“storm”) * Icelandic stormur (“storm”) * Low German storm (“storm”) * Norwegian Bokmål storm (“storm”) * Norwegian Nynorsk storm (“storm”) * Scots storm (“storm”) * Swedish storm (“storm”) * West Frisian stoarm (“storm”)
Synonyms
Related words
Derived words
Translations
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