tempests

noun

plural of tempest
1
as in storms
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow) the sudden summertime tempest drove us off the golf course and into the clubhouse

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in upheavals
a violent disturbance (as of the political or social order) the town council handled the tempest over cuts to the school budget as well as could be expected

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 tempests In Homer’s Odyssey, the Greek hero Odysseus must overcome tempests, temptations, mythical monsters, and divine wrath to sail home to the island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 July 2026 One version of the nation’s history anchors itself in the efforts to navigate those tempests, to better the imperfect tools bequeathed to us by imperfect men. — Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 For now, Buttigieg has chosen to wait out the tempests in Traverse City, the hometown of his husband, Chasten, a former schoolteacher. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 But flooding — and not just from those tropical tempests — is a multibillion-dollar threat that is largely untracked by government agencies and often kept secret from the public. — Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025 But instead of clouds and rain, these electromagnetic tempests are made of plasma, charged particles whipped into motion by Earth's magnetic field. — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025 The force of the collision pushed up mountains three miles high; millions of years of tempests wore them down. — Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 24 Nov. 2024 Hwang seems to be suggesting that a line can indeed be drawn from the cultural tempests – too easily dismissed as matters of political correctness – to the real-world tragedies and obscenities that send innocent men to jail and early graves. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tempests
  1. storms
  2. upheavals
  3. earthquakes
  4. revolutions
Noun
  • Barnard said studies have shown that Pacific storms generate about 30% more wave energy during an El Niño year compared to a year without the climate cycle.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The storms are unlikely to reach the Kansas City forecast area, though there is a 10% to 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of storms
Noun
  • The scandal in question erupted in the eighteen-thirties in the Prussian college town of Königsberg—today, after wars and upheavals, the isolated Russian city of Kaliningrad.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Like many in his generation Zhu’s early career was upended by the political upheavals of the Mao Zedong era.
    — CNN Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of upheavals
Noun
  • After the earthquakes, American Airlines transported relief supplies to Venezuela on a Boeing 737.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Critics say nuclear energy is too expensive and still faces risks from natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of earthquakes
Noun
  • For comparison, regular drone propellers can rotate at several thousand revolutions per minute.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026
  • From the viewpoint of the bourgeoisie, both Jews and the aristocracy advocated revolutions and radical change, and thus both attacked the status quo.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of revolutions

Browse Nearby Words

tempest
tempests
tempestuous
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Cite this Entry

“Tempests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempests. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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