tempest
1 of 2noun
tem·pest ˈtem-pəst 
1
: a violent storm
2
: tumult, uproar
tempest
2 of 2verb
tempested; tempesting; tempests
transitive verb
: to raise a tempest in or around
Synonyms
Noun
- squall
- storm
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun the sudden summertime tempest drove us off the golf course and into the clubhouse the town council handled the tempest over cuts to the school budget as well as could be expected
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2021 Up there, that twin-cell tempest warps these field lines, pulling them through the upper atmosphere. Robin Andrews, Wired, 22 Feb. 2022 The District’s latest tempest over real estate pits a band of the Chevy Chase neighborhood residents against Maret, the elite private school, which is leasing five acres of land to build itself a cathedral for sport. Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2021 Acknowledge making it through more than a year of being buffeted, whether by strong breezes or by a hurricane-force tempest. Annette L. Stanton, STAT, 5 Sep. 2021 Before the Coronado-Orange Glen fiasco, the most notorious Southern California tortilla-tossing tempest was at a 1993 football playoff game between Newbury Park and Montebello high schools. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2021 Writers had operated in a tempest of information gathering from the FWP central office to produce it. Max Holleran, The New Republic, 15 June 2021 Haas sparked a minor tempest in a spit bucket in early April with a Twitter thread advising winery visitors not to rinse their glasses with water between tastes. Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2021 Now that the 2021 filing season has opened, people should be prepared for a tempest of tax issues, Collins said. Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2021 See More
Noun
While the bad weather soon subsides, Alex’s personal tempest has just begun. Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2021 Up there, that twin-cell tempest warps these field lines, pulling them through the upper atmosphere. Robin Andrews, Wired, 22 Feb. 2022 The District’s latest tempest over real estate pits a band of the Chevy Chase neighborhood residents against Maret, the elite private school, which is leasing five acres of land to build itself a cathedral for sport. Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2021 Acknowledge making it through more than a year of being buffeted, whether by strong breezes or by a hurricane-force tempest. Annette L. Stanton, STAT, 5 Sep. 2021 Before the Coronado-Orange Glen fiasco, the most notorious Southern California tortilla-tossing tempest was at a 1993 football playoff game between Newbury Park and Montebello high schools. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2021 Writers had operated in a tempest of information gathering from the FWP central office to produce it. Max Holleran, The New Republic, 15 June 2021 Haas sparked a minor tempest in a spit bucket in early April with a Twitter thread advising winery visitors not to rinse their glasses with water between tastes. Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2021 Now that the 2021 filing season has opened, people should be prepared for a tempest of tax issues, Collins said. Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English tempeste, borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Vulgar Latin *tempesta, replacing Latin tempestāt-, tempestās "stretch of time, period, season, weather, stormy weather," from tempes-, base of tempor-, tempus (alternative stem temper-) "time, period of time, season" + -tāt-, -tās, noun suffix — more at tempo
Note: The proto-Romance form *tempesta is probably a nominal derivative from the feminine of an adjective tempestus, cited by the Roman grammarian Sextus Pompeius Festus as an old variant of tempestīvus "in season, occurring at the proper time."
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing tempest
Kids Definition
tempest
noun
tem·pest ˈtem-pəst
1
: a strong wind often accompanied by rain, hail, or snow
2
: uproar
tempests
noun
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
Relevance
- storms
- squalls
- blizzards
- thunderstorms
- hurricanes
- cyclones
- weathers
- windstorms
- rainstorms
- hailstorms
- typhoons
- snowstorms
- cloudbursts
- northers
- ice storms
- thundershowers
- sandstorms
- rainsqualls
- northeasters
- southeasters
- nor'easters
- southwesters
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
- upheavals
- storms
- earthquakes
- revolutions
- insurrections
- tumults
- convulsions
- revolts
- turmoils
- uprisings
- rebellions
- paroxysms
- cataclysms
- mutinies
- uproars
- eruptions
- stirs
- insurgencies
- upsets
- outbursts
- commotions
- overthrows
- outbreaks
- spasms
- seizures
- subversions
- bouleversements
- squalls
- overturns
- fits
- coils
- rows
- bustles
- bluster
- ructions
- routs
- stews
- welters
- furores
- furors
- fusses
- williwaws
- flare-ups
- ruckuses
- shindies
- rumpuses
- shindys
- pandemoniums
- hubbubs
- hullabaloos
- bobberies
- hurly-burlies
- to-dos