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
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Recent Examples of tempests
But instead of clouds and rain, these electromagnetic tempests are made of plasma, charged particles whipped into motion by Earth's magnetic field.
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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
Noun
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said that more than 2,400 potholes have been repaired across the city in the week following a series of powerful winter storms that doused the region with rain over the Christmas and New Year's holidays.—
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There’s roughly two and a half months left of the winter season, which means that there are plenty of chilly evenings, snow storms, and freeze warnings to look forward to.—
Noun
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These are among the many questions posed by Simon Morrison’s sprawling biography of place, which seeks to understand a nation through the life of its largest city, tracing Moscow’s evolution via dozens of historical upheavals, from war, famine, drought, and much, much more.—
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Evans’ historic eight terms as the first Black chief judge saw the county through reforms, changes and upheavals including the elimination of cash bail and the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
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Last month, at least seven earthquakes rattled the coast of Alaska in a span of 24 hours.—
Noun
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Yet as neat and tidy as this sounds, such revolutions — especially those supported by outside interference — rarely proceed tidily.—
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The talk will encompass later American revolutions which related directly to principles expounded on in the Declaration of Independence such as abolition and women’s suffrage and civil rights.—
Cite this Entry
“Tempests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempests. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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