stormy petrel

noun

1. the British storm petrel, Hydrobates pelagicus, of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean.
2. a person who causes or likes trouble or strife.

stormy petrel

noun

1. another name for storm petrel
2. a person who brings or portends trouble

Word History and Origins

Origin of stormy petrel¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

But Leon Smith, the captain, was determined to have him here, his stormy petrel capable of all sorts of heroics in the past, a good luck charm now, and a loud one.

From The Guardian

They are always on the wing, like stormy petrels, flying swift and low, just skimming the waters, yet darting like arrows, as if seeking for something which they could not find on land or sea.

From Project Gutenberg

Did he regard her as a sort of stormy petrel, heralding bad weather and bad fortune?

From Project Gutenberg

Indeed, it may even be said that his little, shrunk and wizened figure was a kind of stormy petrel: his very presence was a certain signal that danger and adventure were at hand.

From Project Gutenberg

Now it so happened that among those who were discontented for one reason or another there was that stormy petrel, General Daendels.

From Project Gutenberg