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
  • New York City is activating its heat and flash flood emergency plans for Thursday and Friday due to dangerous temperatures and storms in the forecast.
    — Katie Houlis, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected Wednesday into Thursday morning, with a few storms capable of damaging winds and heavy downpours, the National Weather Service said.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of storms
Noun
  • 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.
    — Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
  • These supply-chain upheavals have mounted pressures on certain industries like aviation, where jet fuel costs have soared, and agriculture, which has dealt with shortages of key chemicals used in fertilizers as a result of Strait of Hormuz closures.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of upheavals
Noun
  • The Venezuelan players union AUFPV and soccer players across the country quickly launched relief efforts to support those affected after the June 24 earthquakes.
    — Michelle Kaufman August 7, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The first hint came from a small swarm of earthquakes on May 8, with NASA satellites spotting steamy volcanic plumes and discolored water the next day.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 31 July 2026
Definition of earthquakes
Noun
  • Technological revolutions don't necessarily displace previous practices.
    — Denis Sinelnikov, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • By the 1960s, both Holman and Clift were too deeply scarred to benefit from the decade’s social revolutions.
    — Mya Copeland, Variety, 23 July 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 9 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tempests

Nglish: Translation of tempests for Spanish Speakers

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