storm

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a violent commotion or disturbance

   the storms that had characterized their relationship had died away

2. 2
   verb

   blow hard

   It was storming all night

3. 3
   verb

   rain, hail, or snow hard and be very windy, often with thunder or lightning

   If it storms, we'll need shelter

4. 4
   noun

   Any disturbed state of the atmosphere causing destructive or unpleasant weather, especially one affecting the earth's surface involving strong winds (leading to high waves at sea) and usually lightning, thunder, and precipitation.

   Near-synonyms: cyclone (broad sense), tempest

5. 5
   noun

   A heavy expulsion or fall of things (as blows, objects which are thrown, etc.).

   a storm of bullets

6. 6
   noun

   A violent agitation of human society; a domestic, civil, or political commotion.

   The proposed reforms have led to a political storm.

7. 7
   noun

   A violent commotion or outbreak of sounds, speech, thoughts, etc.; also, an outpouring of emotion.

   a storm of protest

8. 8
   noun

   Chiefly with a qualifying word: a violent attack of diease, pain, physiological reactions, symptoms, etc.; a paroxysm.

   asthmatic storm    cytokine storm

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English stormen (“of the wind: to blow violently; to cause to roll or toss”), from storm (noun) (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming the infinitives of verbs). Compare Middle English sturmen (“to attack (someone) with great force”), from Old English styrman (“to rage, storm; to make a great noise, cry aloud, shout, storm”), from Proto-West Germanic *sturmijan (“to storm”), from Proto-Germanic *sturmijaną (“to storm”), from *sturmaz (“a storm”) (see etymology 1) + *-janą (suffix forming causatives from strong verbs, with a sense of ‘to cause to do [the action…