tornado
noun
tor·na·do
tȯr-ˈnā-(ˌ)dō 
plural tornadoes or tornados
1
a
: a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that progresses in a narrow path over the land
b
: a squall accompanying a thunderstorm in Africa
2
: a violent windstorm : whirlwind
3
archaic
: a tropical thunderstorm
Examples of tornado in a Sentence
in the path of a tornado
Recent Examples on the Web
Context: Climate change is altering the environment in which severe thunderstorms and tornadoes form.
—
Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025
The storm unleashed a deadly wave of tornadoes across the central and Southern US since Friday.
—Tricia Escobedo, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
But after a monstrous tornado ripped through the Illinois town of Murphysboro on March 18, 1925, Othella saw nothing but flattened wasteland.
—John O’Connor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
In the moments before a tornado destroyed her family's Arkansas home, Misty Drope noticed the silence.
—Ginger Zee, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tornado
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Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025
The storm unleashed a deadly wave of tornadoes across the central and Southern US since Friday.
—Tricia Escobedo, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
But after a monstrous tornado ripped through the Illinois town of Murphysboro on March 18, 1925, Othella saw nothing but flattened wasteland.
—John O’Connor, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
In the moments before a tornado destroyed her family's Arkansas home, Misty Drope noticed the silence.
—Ginger Zee, ABC News, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tornado
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Cite this Entry
“Tornado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tornado. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tornado
noun
tor·na·do
tȯr-ˈnād-ō
plural tornadoes or tornados
: a violent destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud that moves in a narrow path over the land
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