hurricane

[ hur-i-keyn, huhr-or, especially British, -kuhn ]

noun

1. Meteorology. a tropical cyclone of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or eastern Pacific Ocean, having sustained wind speeds of at least 64 knots (74 miles per hour, 33 meters per second): hurricanes form in waters with surface temperatures of about 80°F (27°C), intensifying as temperatures rise. Compare typhoon.
2. anything characterized by a turmoil of force or activity, suggestive of a hurricane:

   As our helicopter got closer to the canyon, a hurricane of wild horses took off in all directions, kicking up clouds of dust that impaired the pilot’s vision.

3. Hurricane, Military. a single-seat British fighter plane of World War II, fitted with eight .303 caliber machine guns and with a top speed in excess of 300 miles per hour (480 kilometers per hour).

hurricane

/ ˈhʌrɪkən; -keɪn /

noun

1. a severe, often destructive storm, esp a tropical cyclone
2. 1. a wind of force 12 or above on the Beaufort scale
   2. ( as modifier )

      a wind of hurricane force

3. anything acting like such a wind

hurricane

/ hûr′ĭ-kān′ /

1. A severe, rotating tropical storm with heavy rains and cyclonic winds exceeding 74 mi (119 km) per hour, especially such a storm occurring in the Northern Hemisphere. Hurricanes originate in the tropical parts of the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean Sea and move generally northward. They lose force when they move over land or colder ocean waters.
2. See Note at cyclone

hurricane

1. A large tropical storm system with high-powered circular winds. ( See cyclone and eye of a hurricane .)

Notes

Between July and October, hurricanes cause extensive damage along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. ( See Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hurricane¹

First recorded in 1545–55; earlier furacan, hurricano, uracan, from Spanish huracán and Portuguese furacão, from Taíno huracán, furacán

Word History and Origins

Origin of hurricane¹

C16: from Spanish huracán, from Taino hurakán, from hura wind

Example Sentences

He pointed to some of Bush’s biggest failures, including the failure to reform social security, his response to Hurricane Katrina and the war in Iraq.

From Salon

Quite a lot has changed since February 2005: YouTube hadn’t yet launched, Hurricane Katrina wouldn’t hit until August, and Disneyland was about to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

From Los Angeles Times

Twitter’s growth was supercharged when enough people realized that it was the place to be for everything from updates on a hurricane making landfall to chatter about a late-night Portland Trail Blazers game.

From Slate

Hurricane Helene presented the perfect opportunity for bringing the climate crisis into the campaign.

From Salon

Fema staff have been in Florida helping residents recover from Hurricane Milton last month, and needed to survey damage to homes to assess who qualified to apply for federal aid.

From BBC

Related Words

• cyclone
• gale
• monsoon
• storm
• tornado
• twister