gust

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈgəst 

1

obsolete

a

: the sensation of taste

b

: inclination, liking

2

: keen delight

gust

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a sudden brief rush of wind

2

: a sudden outburst : surge

a gust of emotion

gustily

ˈgə-stə-lē 

adverb

gustiness

ˈgə-stē-nəs 

noun

gusty

ˈgə-stē 

adjective

gust

3 of 3

verb

gusted; gusting; gusts

intransitive verb

: to blow in gusts

winds gusting up to 40 mph

Did you know?

Gust Beyond Wind

You're no doubt familiar with the simple gust that means "a brief burst of wind." At least a century and a half before that word first appeared in print in the late 16th century, however, a differently derived homograph came on the scene. The windy gust is probably derived from an Old Norse word gustr, whereas our older featured word (which is now considerably rarer than its look-alike) comes to us through Middle English from gustus, the Latin word for "taste." Gustus gave English another word as well. Gusto (which now usually means "zest" but can also mean "an individual or specific taste") comes to us from gustus by way of Italian.

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• blast
• blow
• flurry
• scud
• williwaw
• windblast

Examples of gust in a Sentence

Noun (2)

a gust tore her umbrella from her grip and blew it down the street

the stressed-out coworker cried out with a gust of emotion that we had never witnessed before

Verb

The forecast calls for winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wind gusts may range 40 to 60 mph in the mountains. —Tim Ryan, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

The highest wind gusts are forecast for the Santa Monica, Santa Susanna and San Gabriel mountains. —Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024

Verb

Power outages piling up like the snow because of heavy wet snow in New England and strong wind gusts over 50mph moving in later today. —Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024

Winds may even gust over 40 mph on Thursday, per the report. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English guste, from Latin gustus; akin to Latin gustare to taste — more at choose

Noun (2)

probably from Old Norse gustr; akin to Old High German gussa flood, and perhaps to Old English gēotan to pour — more at found

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1813, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

gust

noun

ˈgəst

1

: a sudden brief rush of wind

2

: a sudden outburst

a gust of anger

gusty

ˈgəs-tē

adjective