tsunami

noun

tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnä-mē 

plural tsunamis also tsunami

: a great sea wave produced especially by submarine earth movement or volcanic eruption : tidal wave

tsunamic

(t)su̇-ˈnä-mik 

adjective

Examples of tsunami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Emotional ceremonies began across Asia on December 26 to remember the 220,000 people who died two decades ago when a tsunami devastated coastal areas around the Indian Ocean, in one of the worst natural disasters in human history. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2025

Every new wave of technology builds on the last — but 2025 feels more like a tsunami than a ripple. —Jessica Billingsley, Rolling Stone, 2 Jan. 2025

History figures to be foggy when the final accounting comes due on that franchise-rattling tsunami. —Jim Ingraham, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

During an active year in sports business, the Paris Olympics put a new shine on the rings, franchise valuations continued to skyrocket, and a women’s sports tsunami reshaped the industry. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, from tsu harbor + nami wave

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tsunami

noun

tsu·​na·​mi (t)su̇-ˈnäm-ē 

: a great sea wave produced especially by an earthquake or volcanic eruption under the sea : tidal wave

Etymology

Japanese, from tsu "harbor" + nami "wave"