tsunami

noun

tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnä-mē How to pronounce tsunami (audio)
plural tsunamis also tsunami
: a great sea wave produced especially by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption : tidal wave
tsunamic adjective

Examples of tsunami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The episode title comes from the cold open, in which Victoria (Parker Posey) dreams that a tsunami arrives on the beach and ostensibly kills her and her whole family. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025 No one could have foreseen the inflationary tsunami that swept across the land, raising the prices from eggs to hotel loans dramatically. Daniel Berman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025 The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., joins a tsunami of other legal challenges that hope to stop Trump's bid to radically reshape the federal government. Ivana Saric, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025 And that’s the truest Black American game of all, finding a way to exist and thrive in a tsunami of contradictions. Kyle Denis, Billboard, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tsunami

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, from tsu harbor + nami wave

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tsunami was in 1896

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tsunami.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tsunami. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

tsunami

noun
tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnäm-ē How to pronounce tsunami (audio)
: a great sea wave produced especially by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea : tidal wave
Etymology

Japanese, from tsu "harbor" + nami "wave"

More from Merriam-Webster on tsunami

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