tornado
noun/tɔːˈneɪdəʊ/
/tɔːrˈneɪdəʊ/
(plural tornadoes, tornados)
- a violent storm with very strong winds that move in a circle. There is often also a long cloud that is narrower at the bottom than the top.
- Tornadoes ripped into the southern United States yesterday.
- She burst in to the room like a tornado.
Collocations The weatherThe weatherGood weather- be bathed in/bask in/be blessed with/enjoy bright/brilliant/glorious sunshine
- the sun shines/warms something/beats down (on something)
- the sunshine breaks/streams through something
- fluffy/wispy clouds drift across the sky
- a gentle/light/stiff/cool/warm/sea breeze blows in/comes in off the sea
- the snow crunches beneath/under somebody’s feet/boots
- thick/dark/storm clouds form/gather/roll in/cover the sky/block out the sun
- the sky darkens/turns black
- a fine mist hangs in the air
- a dense/heavy/thick fog rolls in
- the rain falls/comes down (in buckets/sheets)/pours down
- snow falls/comes down/covers something
- the wind blows/whistles/howls/picks up/whips through something/sweeps across something
- strong/gale-force winds blow/gust (up to 80 mph)
- a storm is approaching/is moving inland/hits/strikes/rages
- thunder rolls/rumbles/sounds
- (forked/sheet) lightning strikes/hits/flashes
- a (blinding/snow) blizzard hits/strikes/blows/rages
- a tornado touches down/hits/strikes/destroys something/rips through something
- forecast/expect/predict rain/snow/a category-four hurricane
- (North American English) pour (down)/ (British English) pour (down) with rain
- get caught in/seek shelter from/escape the rain
- be covered/shrouded in mist/a blanket of fog
- be in for/brave/shelter from a/the storm
- hear rolling/distant thunder
- be battered/buffeted by strong winds
- (British English) be blowing a gale
- battle against/brave the elements
- the sun breaks through the clouds
- the sky clears/brightens (up)/lightens (up)
- the clouds part/clear
- the rain stops/lets up/holds off
- the wind dies down
- the storm passes
- the mist/fog lifts/clears
Extra ExamplesTopics Weatherb1, The environmentb1- A powerful tornado touched down in Evansville, Indiana.
- The building was badly damaged in a tornado.
- The group meets every spring to chase tornadoes.
- The town was hit by a tornado last night.
- There are tornado watches in effect all across eastern Alabama.
- Tropical storm Bonnie spawned tornadoes in North Carolina.
- We had a tornado warning earlier in the evening.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deadly
- powerful
- possible
- …
- hit something
- strike something
- come down
- …
- cause
- produce
- spawn
- …
- warning
- watch
- siren
- …
- in a/the tornado
Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting a violent thunderstorm of the tropical Atlantic Ocean): perhaps an alteration of Spanish tronada ‘thunderstorm’ (from tronar ‘to thunder’) by association with Spanish tornar ‘to turn’.
Check pronunciation:
tornado