storm
UK /stɔːm/ · US /stoɹm/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms storms storming stormed stormest stormedst stormeth
- noun Any disturbed state of the atmosphere causing destructive or unpleasant weather, especially one affecting the earth's surface involving strong winds (leading to high waves at sea) and usually lightning, thunder, and precipitation. “The boat was torn to pieces in the storm, and nobody survived.”
- noun (by extension) A heavy fall of precipitation (hail, rain, or snow) or bout of lightning and thunder without strong winds; a hail storm, rainstorm, snowstorm, or thunderstorm.
- noun (by extension) Synonym of cyclone (“a weather phenomenon consisting of a system of winds rotating around a centre of low atmospheric pressure”).
- noun (by extension, Canada, Scotland, US, dated) A period of frosty and/or snowy weather.
- noun (meteorology) A disturbed state of the atmosphere between a severe or strong gale and a hurricane on the modern Beaufort scale, with a wind speed of between 89 and 102 kilometres per hour (55–63 miles per hour; 10 on the scale, known as a "storm" or whole gale), or of between 103 and 117 kilometres per hour (64–72 miles per hour; 11 on the scale, known as a "violent storm").
- noun A heavy expulsion or fall of things (as blows, objects which are thrown, etc.). “a storm of bullets”
- noun A violent agitation of human society; a domestic, civil, or political commotion. “The proposed reforms have led to a political storm.”
- noun A violent commotion or outbreak of sounds, speech, thoughts, etc.; also, an outpouring of emotion. “a storm of protest”
- verb (impersonal, chiefly US) Preceded by the dummy subject it: to have strong winds and usually lightning and thunder, and/or hail, rain, or snow. “It stormed throughout the night.”
- verb To make (someone or something) stormy; to agitate (someone or something) violently.
- verb To disturb or trouble (someone).
- verb To use (harsh language).
- verb (chiefly military) To violently assault (a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.) with the aim of gaining control of it. “the storming of the Bastille”
- verb (figurative, often poetic) To assault or gain control or power over (someone's heart, mind, etc.).
- verb (by extension, especially in command economies) To catch up (on production output) by making frenzied or herculean efforts. “They were storming near the end of the month to salvage some goodwill.”
- verb (UK, dialectal, agriculture) To protect (seed-hay) from stormy weather by putting sheaves of them into small stacks.
- noun (military) A violent assault on a fortified position or stronghold.
- proper noun A unisex given name.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
cyclone tempest tumult procelle aggravate annoy nettle rankle ruffle sting burn someone's ass antagonize bother disgruntle botherate bug get grate burn up bedevil violent storm ramp rage force surprise
Etymology
From Middle English storm (“disturbed state of the atmosphere; heavy precipitation; battle, conflict; attack”) [and other forms], from Old English storm (“tempest, storm; attack; storm of arrows; disquiet, disturbance, tumult, uproar; onrush, rush”) [and other forms], from Proto-West Germanic *sturm (“storm”), from Proto-Germanic *sturmaz (“storm”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)twerH- (“to agitate, stir up; to propel; to urge on”). Related to stir.
* Danish storm (“storm”)
* Dutch storm (“storm”)
* German Sturm (“storm”)
* Icelandic stormur (“storm”)
* Low German storm (“storm”)
* Norwegian Bokmål storm (“storm”)
* Norwegian Nynorsk storm (“storm”)
* Scots storm (“storm”)
* Swedish storm (“storm”)
* West Frisian stoarm (“storm”)
The verb is derived from Middle English stormen (“of the wind: to blow violently; to cause to roll or toss”), from storm (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs).
Compare Middle English sturmen (“to attack (someone) with great force”), from Old English styrman (“to rage, storm; to make a great noise, cry aloud, shout, storm”), from Proto-West Germanic *sturmijan (“to storm”), from Proto-Germanic *sturmijaną (“to storm”), from *sturmaz (“a storm”) (see etymology 1) + *-janą (suffix forming causatives from strong verbs, with a sense of ‘to cause to do [the action of the verb]’). The Middle English word did not survive into modern English.
The noun is derived from verb etymology 2, verb sense 2.3 (“to violently assault (a fortified position or stronghold, a building, etc.) with the aim of gaining control of it”).
* Dutch stormen (“to bluster, storm”)
* German stürmen (“to rage, storm; to assault, attack”)
* Icelandic storma (“to storm”)
* Low German stormen (“to storm”)
* Swedish storma (“to bluster, storm”)
Webster’s 1913
- noun A violent disturbance of the atmosphere, attended by wind, rain, snow, hail, or thunder and lightning; hence, often, a heavy fall of rain, snow, or hail, whether accompanied with wind or not. We hear this fearful tempest sing, Yet seek no shelter to avoid the storm. Shak.
- noun A violent agitation of human society; a civil, political, or domestic commotion; sedition, insurrection, or war; violent outbreak; clamor; tumult.
- verb To assault; to attack, and attempt to take, by scaling walls, forcing gates, breaches, or the like; as, to storm a fortified town.
- verb To raise a tempest. Spenser.
Etymology [AS. storm; akin to D. storm, G. sturm, Icel. stormr; and perhaps to Gr. s to flow, to hasten, or perhaps to L. sternere to strew, prostrate (cf. Stratum). *166.]
Etymology [Cf. AS. styrman.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “storm”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details