/ ˈweðə(r); NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ U ]
1.
the condition of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, such as the temperature, and if there is wind, rain, sun, etc. :
hot / cold / wet / fine / summer / windy, etc. weather
Did you have good weather on your trip?
I'm not going out in this weather!
There's going to be a change in the weather .
if the weather holds / breaks (= if the good weather continues / changes)
The weather is very changeable at the moment.
'Are you going to the beach tomorrow?' 'It depends on the weather.'
We'll have the party outside, weather permitting (= if it doesn't rain) .
a weather map / chart
a weather report
2.
the weather ( informal ) a report of what the weather will be like, that is on the radio or television, or in the newspapers :
to listen to the weather
•
IDIOMS
- in all weathers
- keep a weather eye on sb/sth
- under the weather
—more at brass , heavy
■ verb
1.
to change, or make sth change, colour or shape because of the effect of the sun, rain or wind :
[ v ]
This brick weathers to a warm pinkish-brown colour.
[ vn ]
Her face was weathered by the sun.
2.
[ vn ] to come safely through a difficult period or experience :
The company just managed to weather the recession.
She refuses to resign, intending to weather the storm (= wait until the situation improves again) .
••
VOCABULARY BUILDING
types of weather
Rain
Drizzle is fine light rain.
A shower is a short period of rain.
A downpour or a cloudburst is a heavy fall of rain that often starts suddenly.
When it is raining very hard you can say that it is pouring . In informal BrE you can also say that it is bucketing down or chucking it down . You can also say: The heavens opened.
Storms
A cyclone and a typhoon are types of violent tropical storms with very strong winds.
A hurricane has very strong winds and is usually at sea.
A monsoon is a period of very heavy rain in particular countries, or the wind that brings this rain.
A squall is a sudden strong, violent wind, usually in a rain or snow storm.
A tornado (or twister informal ) has very strong winds which move in a circle, often with a long narrow cloud.
A whirlwind moves very fast in a spinning movement and causes a lot of damage.
A blizzard is a snow storm with very strong winds.
Tempest is used mainly in literary language to describe a violent storm. For more information see the Cultural Guide
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English weder , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch weer and German Wetter , probably also to the noun wind (I).