monsoon

[mon-soon]

noun

1. the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter.

2. (in India and nearby lands) the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season.

3. any wind that changes directions with the seasons.

4. any persistent wind established between water and adjoining land.

monsoon

/ mɒnˈsuːn /

noun

1. a seasonal wind of S Asia that blows from the southwest in summer, bringing heavy rains, and from the northeast in winter

2. the rainy season when the SW monsoon blows, from about April to October

3. any wind that changes direction with the seasons

monsoon

1. A system of winds that influences the climate of a large area and that reverses direction with the seasons. Monsoons are caused primarily by the much greater annual variation in temperature over large areas of land than over large areas of adjacent ocean water. This variation causes an excess of atmospheric pressure over the continents in the winter, and a deficit in the summer. The disparity causes strong winds to blow between the ocean and the land, bringing heavy seasonal rainfall.

2. In southern Asia, a wind that is part of such a system and that blows from the southwest in the summer and usually brings heavy rains.

monsoon

1. A wind system that affects large climatic regions and reverses direction seasonally.

The Asiatic monsoon brings heavy rains to Southeast Asia in spring and summer.

Other Word Forms

• monsoonal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monsoon¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from obsolete Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monção, earlier moução, from Arabic mawsim “season,” noun derivative of wasama “to mark”; mazuma ( def. ), Sivan ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of monsoon¹

C16: from obsolete Dutch monssoen, from Portuguese monção, from Arabic mawsim season

Example Sentences

Was it luck that was on England's side, or the simple inevitability of scheduling a cricket tournament during monsoon season in Sri Lanka?

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Meteorologists say monsoon now stretches into autumn, which is traditionally mountain tourism season.

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Widespread floods from those storms and earlier monsoon rains have stirred public anger and triggered street protests.

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The police, however, said that they could not take any chances as the area was prone to landslides during the monsoon season.

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A late summer monsoon that swept over Southern California last week, triggering mudslides and flash floods also destroyed multiple homes and led to a child’s death, officials said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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