Word
tsunami
Phoneticstsuna·mi
US/suˈnɑmi/
UK/tsuːnˈɑːmi/
Definitions
01giant sea wave
n. a huge, powerful wave caused by an earthquake or volcano under the ocean that can cause great damage when it hits land.
n. a series of massive water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean, due to seismic activity.
“The coastal town installed a new siren to warn residents of a possible tsunami after the earthquake.”
“Geologists monitored the undersea fault line closely, fearing that a significant shift could trigger a tsunami capable of reaching distant island chains within hours.”
Synonyms
02an overwhelming surge
n. a very large amount of something that arrives suddenly and is difficult to control.
n. a figurative surge or overwhelming arrival of something, often used to describe social, economic, or emotional phenomena.
“The company was not prepared for the tsunami of complaints following the price increase.”
“The sudden policy shift unleashed a tsunami of public criticism that the administration struggled to contain during the subsequent press conference.”
Literary
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“A powerful earthquake and tsunami in 1992 killed about 2,500 people on the island.” “The Fukushima earthquake and tsunami of 2011 in Japan caused major damage to the nearby Iwaki museum with damage to some of the fossils in their collections.” “Australia’s tsunami warning centre said the quake posed no threat to the Australian mainland, its islands or territories.” Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Related words
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/tsunami