Tempest
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A storm, especially one with severe winds.
"For a Tempeſt. Take Eurus, Zephyr, Auſter and Boreas, and caſt them together in one Verſe. Add to theſe of Rain, Lightning, and of Thunder (the loudeſt you can) quantum ſufficit. Mix your Clouds and Billows well together till they foam, and thicken your Deſcription here and there with a Quickſand. Brew your Tempeſt well in your Head, before you ſet it a blowing."
- 2 (literary) a violent wind wordnet
- 3 Any violent tumult or commotion.
"Comforted with these reflections, the tempest of his soul subsided"
- 4 a violent commotion or disturbance wordnet
- 5 A fashionable social gathering; a drum. obsolete
- 1 To storm. intransitive, rare
- 2 To disturb, as by a tempest. poetic, transitive
". . . the seal And bended dolphins play; part huge of bulk, Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their gait, Tempest the ocean."
- 1 A surname transferred from the nickname.
Example
More examples"Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are a tempest and hailstorm."
Etymology
From Old French tempeste (French tempête), from Latin tempestas (“storm”), from tempus (“time, weather”).
From tempest, a nickname for someone with a blustery temperament.
Related phrases
More for "tempest"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.