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

Across the country, police have for decades been pressed into crisis response duty during wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025

Lund described the fire tornado as a response to the weather rather than its own event. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

Following last year's devastating tornadoes and storms, insurance challenges are unlikely to subside anytime soon. —Linh Ta, Axios, 14 Jan. 2025

It has traditionally been applied to tornado events but has also been used for flash floods, thunderstorms, windchill, and fire weather. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

modification of Spanish tronada thunderstorm, from tronar to thunder, from Latin tonare — more at thunder entry 1

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids 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