I. storm 1 W3 /stɔːm $ stɔːrm/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ storm ; noun : ↑ storm ; adjective : ↑ stormy ]
[ Language: Old English ]
1 . [countable] a period of very bad weather when there is a lot of rain or snow, strong winds, and often ↑ lightning :
The weather forecast is for severe storms tonight.
Twenty people were killed when the storm struck the Midwest.
2 . [countable usually singular] a situation in which people suddenly express very strong feelings about something that someone has said or done:
The governor found himself at the center of a political storm.
storm of protest/criticism etc
Government plans for hospital closures provoked a storm of protest.
3 . take somewhere by storm
a) to be very successful in a particular place:
The new show took London by storm.
b) to attack a place using large numbers of soldiers, and succeed in getting possession of it
4 . weather the storm to experience a difficult period and reach the end of it without being harmed or damaged too much:
I’ll stay and weather the storm.
5 . a storm in a teacup British English an unnecessary expression of strong feelings about something that is very unimportant
6 . dance/sing/cook etc up a storm to do something with all your energy:
They were dancing up a storm.
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 1)
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + storm
▪ a big storm
The tree had come down on the day of the big storm.
▪ a bad/terrible storm
This was the worst storm for 50 years.
▪ a severe/violent/fierce storm
He set out in a violent storm for Fort William.
▪ a great storm literary:
the great storm of 1997
▪ a tropical storm
The tropical storm smashed through the Bahamas.
▪ a rain/snow storm
They got caught in a terrible snow storm.
▪ a dust storm (=one in which a lot of dust is blown around)
Dust storms are relatively common in the Sahara.
▪ an electrical storm (=one with lightning)
Power supplies have been affected by severe electrical storms in some parts of the country.
▪ a winter/summer storm
People fear there may be more flooding when the winter storms hit.
▪ a freak storm (=an unexpected and unusually violent one)
The freak storm caused chaos.
▪ an approaching storm (=one that is coming closer)
The horizon was dark with an approaching storm.
■ verbs
▪ a storm blows up (=starts)
That night, a storm blew up.
▪ a storm breaks (=suddenly starts, after clouds have been increasing)
The storm broke at five o'clock.
▪ a storm is brewing (=is likely to start soon)
He could feel that a storm was brewing.
▪ a storm rages (=is active and violent)
By the time we reached the airfield, a tropical storm was raging.
▪ a storm hits/strikes (a place)
We should try to get home before the storm hits.
▪ a storm lashes/batters a place literary
Fierce storms lashed the coastline.
▪ a storm abates/passes
We sat and waited for the storm to pass.
▪ a storm blows itself out (=ends)
The storm finally blew itself out.
▪ ride out a storm (=survive it without being damaged)
The Greek fleet had ridden out the storm near Euboia.
■ storm + NOUN
▪ storm clouds
We could see storm clouds in the distance.
▪ storm damage
A lot of buildings suffered storm damage.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ' a strong storm ' or ' a hard storm '. Say a big storm , a bad storm , or a violent storm .
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 2)
■ adjectives
▪ a political storm
The company became the centre of a political storm.
■ verbs
▪ cause/create a storm
The Prime Minister caused a storm by criticizing military commanders.
▪ provoke/spark/raise a storm (=make it start)
This decision provoked a storm of protest from civil rights organizations.
▪ a storm blows up (=starts)
In 1895 a diplomatic storm blew up between Britain and America over Venezuela.
▪ a storm blows over (=ends)
The President is just hoping that the storm will blow over quickly.
▪ ride out the storm (=survive the situation)
Do you think the government will be able to ride out the storm?
■ phrases
▪ a storm of protest
The killing caused a storm of protest.
▪ a storm of controversy
His book raised a storm of controversy.
▪ a storm of criticism
A storm of criticism forced the government to withdraw the proposal.
▪ be at the centre of a storm British English , be at the center of a storm American English (=be the person or thing that is causing strong protest, criticism etc)
He has been at the centre of a storm surrounding donations to the party.
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THESAURUS
▪ storm a period of very bad weather when there is a lot of rain or snow, strong winds, and often lightning:
The ship sank in a violent storm.
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They got caught in a storm on top of the mountain.
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The storm hit the coast of Florida on Tuesday.
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The cost of repairing storm damage will run into millions of pounds.
▪ thunderstorm a storm in which there is a lot of ↑ thunder (=loud noise in the sky) and ↑ lightning (=flashes of light in the sky) :
When I was young i was terrified of thunderstorms.
▪ hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
Hurricane Katrina battered the US Gulf Coast.
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the hurricane season
▪ typhoon a very violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A powerful typhoon hit southern China today.
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Weather experts are monitoring typhoons in Hong Kong and China.
▪ cyclone a severe storm affecting a large area, in which the wind moves around in a big circle:
Thousands of people died when a tropical cyclone hit Bangladesh.
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Cyclone ‘Joy’ inflicted damage estimated at $40 million, with winds of up to 145 miles per hour.
▪ tornado ( also twister American English informal ) an extremely violent storm that consists of air that spins very quickly and causes a lot of damage:
The tornado ripped the roof off his house.
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For the second time in a week deadly tornadoes have torn through Tennessee.
▪ snowstorm a storm with strong winds and a lot of snow:
A major snowstorm blew across Colorado.
▪ blizzard a severe snowstorm in which the snow is blown around by strong winds, making it difficult to see anything:
We got stuck in a blizzard.
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Denver is bracing itself for blizzard conditions.
II. storm 2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ storm ; noun : ↑ storm ; adjective : ↑ stormy ]
1 . [transitive] to suddenly attack and enter a place using a lot of force:
An angry crowd stormed the embassy.
2 . [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to go somewhere in a noisy fast way that shows you are extremely angry
storm out of/into/off etc
Alan stormed out of the room.
3 . [intransitive and transitive] literary to shout something in an angry way:
‘What difference does it make?’ she stormed.
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THESAURUS
■ to attack a place
▪ attack to use weapons to try to damage or take control of a place:
The village was attacked by enemy warplanes.
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We will attack at dawn.
▪ invade to enter a country and try to get control of it using force:
The Romans invaded Britain 2,000 years ago.
▪ storm to suddenly attack a city or building that is well defended by getting inside it and taking control:
Elite troops stormed the building and rescued the hostages.
▪ besiege /bɪˈsiːdʒ/ to surround a city or building with soldiers in order to stop the people inside from getting out or from receiving supplies:
In April 655, Osman’s palace was besieged by rebels.