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
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
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
Noun
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Even minor changes in clouds, wind or storms can force delays, especially for a mission of this scale.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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For people living along the coast, sand also defends against intense storms and sea level rise fueled by climate change.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Over the course of the twentieth century, with its endless economic and political upheavals, the numbers of both people and reindeer in the camp have dwindled.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
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Epic survived upheavals in 1990’s with the move from 2D to 3D with Unreal 1; in the 2000’s building console games with Gears of War; and in 2012 moving to online gaming with Paragon and Fortnite.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
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The book gives us fresh and fascinating insight into a woman whose study of the waves from earthquakes led to a new understanding of what lies at the very center of our planet.—
Carol Sutton Lewis,
Scientific American,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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As is true of many revolutions in flowering plants, some seagrass lineages doubled then edited entire genomes.—
David George Haskell,
Big Think,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Beginning with folk roots, and inspired by Bob Dylan going electric, the Grateful Dead continually adapted and evolved and became indelibly linked with both of the revolutions which began in San Francisco in the post-WW2 period.—
Mike Hanlon
March 22,
New Atlas,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tempests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tempests. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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