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Gust Beyond Wind
You’re no doubt familiar with the breezy gust meaning “a brief burst of wind.” But about a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, a different gust blew onto the scene. The windy gust likely comes from a synonymous Old Norse word, gustr, whereas the older gust, which refers to the sensation of taste as well as to a feeling of enthusiastic delight, comes ultimately from gustus, the Latin word for “taste.” English speakers eventually mostly dropped that older gust, replacing it in the early 17th century with a similar gustus word borrowed from Italian: gusto is now the go-to word when you want to refer to enthusiastic and vigorous enjoyment or appreciation. You can use it with gusto.
Examples of gust in a Sentence
Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
One strong gust of wind can be enough to flip one of these trailers onto its side.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026
Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Sustained winds of 25 to 30 mph, gusts up to 50 mph and relative humidity under 10% will combine with dry fuels causing any fires that ignite to spread at a life-threatening pace, according to the National Weather Service.
—Taylor Ward, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for gust
Cite this Entry
“Gust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gust. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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