storm 1 of 2

1
as in thunderstorm
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow) a winter storm bringing about six inches of snow

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in barrage
a heavy fall of objects police had to endure a storm of rocks and bricks hurled by the rioters

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
5
as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity the storm caused major damage to our barn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

6
as in explosion
a sudden intense expression of strong feeling a storm of indignation and demands for his resignation arose when the mayor's dishonesty was exposed

Synonyms & Similar Words

7

storm

2 of 2

verb

1
2
as in to rain
to fall as water in a continuous stream of drops from the clouds it storms so frequently up in the mountains that the peaks are rarely visible from the valley below

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in to steam
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger by the time we arrived, our hostess was storming because dinner was ruined

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb storm contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of storm are assail, assault, attack, and bombard. While all these words mean "to make an onslaught upon," storm implies attempting to break into a defended position.

preparing to storm the fortress

When might assail be a better fit than storm?

While in some cases nearly identical to storm, assail implies attempting to break down resistance by repeated blows or shots.

assailed the enemy with artillery fire

Where would assault be a reasonable alternative to storm?

In some situations, the words assault and storm are roughly equivalent. However, assault suggests a direct attempt to overpower by suddenness and violence of onslaught.

commandos assaulted the building from all sides

When would attack be a good substitute for storm?

The words attack and storm can be used in similar contexts, but attack implies taking the initiative in a struggle.

plan to attack the town at dawn

When can bombard be used instead of storm?

The words bombard and storm are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bombard applies to attacking with bombs or shells.

bombarded the city nightly

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 storm
Noun
Ironically, the very storm responsible for their deaths is likely what preserved their skeletons so well, the researchers said. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025 The assumption is there are no impacts because the storm will not make landfall. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
At the rehearsal the day before, Ethan stormed out after claiming Zac and Lydia were moving too quickly in their relationship and speculating that Zac might be gay. Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025 Was that the liberal left or the toothless army who stormed the Capitol on January 6? Brian Welk, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for storm
Recent Examples of Synonyms for storm
Noun
  • Chance of lightning increases as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is overhead.
    KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This coalesces and makes sense of the barrage of assaults designed to undermine Americans’ trust in our country, our Constitution and all the principles upon which it was built.
    U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Sep. 2025
  • When Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny finally learned who was behind the barrage of incessant, cruel texts that broke them up and created mass paranoia at their small Midwestern school, the truth was almost too impossible to believe.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Advertisement The flurry of updates came three days after Robinson was arrested following an intensive hunt for Kirk's killer.
    Richard Hall, Time, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The flurry of summer comes to an end and routine returns.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Oprah Winfrey, who popped up earlier in the week at Ralph Lauren's fashion show, caused quite the commotion with her appearance at Christian Siriano's runway show Friday.
    Anika Reed, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Fortunately, the commotion was enough to startle the bear.
    Katie Jackson, Outside, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for Saturday afternoon and evening, warning of storms with heavy rain, small hail, and wind gusts up to 40 mph in parts of north-central Colorado.
    Marco Cummings, Denver Post, 14 Sep. 2025
  • If only this car had arrived a few months later during one of our brief bouts of winter rain.
    Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sure, other fates are possible, like direct collapse to a black hole or explosions through the pair-instability mechanism, but a core-collapse supernova (also known as a type II supernova) represents the fate of the majority of the most massive stars ever to be born.
    Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Such an explosion would happen to the smallest possible black holes, at most, once every 100,000 years, according to previous theories.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • At some point, everyone faces upheaval; a layoff, a health scare, a collapsing industry, or simply the gnawing sense that the old way isn’t working anymore.
    Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • This event triggered a massive upheaval in the global financial markets and signaled the intensification of the 2008 financial crisis.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • As the Tush Push discourse raged Sunday night following the Chiefs’ 20-17 loss to the Eagles, another debate started.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2025
  • At times, officials, including senior advisor Stephen Miller, have raged against federal judges for standing in their way by issuing nationwide injunctions, some of which Sotomayor and her colleagues have then had brought before them.
    Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Storm.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/storm. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on storm

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!