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’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
tornado