typhoon

[tahy-foon]

noun

1. Meteorology.,  a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific Ocean or northern Indian Ocean, having sustained winds of at least 64 knots (74 miles per hour, 33 meters per second): typhoons form in waters with surface temperatures of about 80°F (27°C), intensifying as temperatures rise.

2. Military.,  Typhoon,

   1. a single-engine British ground attack aircraft of World War II.

   2. NATO's name for a class of nuclear-powered Soviet ballistic missile submarine carrying 20 multiwarhead missiles.

typhoon

/ taɪˈfɒnɪk, taɪˈfuːn /

noun

1. a violent tropical storm or cyclone, esp in the China seas and W Pacific

2. a violent storm of India

typhoon

1. A violent cyclonic storm occurring in the western Pacific Ocean.

2. See Note at cyclone

typhoon

1. In meteorology, a type of cyclone occurring in the western regions of the Pacific Ocean.

A typhoon is similar to a hurricane in levels of destructiveness.

Other Word Forms

• typhonic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of typhoon¹

First recorded in 1580–90; alteration (influenced by Greek tȳphôn “violent wind, whirlwind”) of earlier touffon, tufan, from Arabic ṭūfān “hurricane, deluge” (perhaps from Greek tȳphôn ), from dialectal Chinese (Guangdong) taaî fung, equivalent to Chinese dàfēng “great wind”

Word History and Origins

Origin of typhoon¹

C16: from Chinese tai fung great wind, from tai great + fung wind; influenced by Greek tuphōn whirlwind

Example Sentences

A powerful typhoon has battered Vietnam's coastal provinces, with strong winds and rains felling trees and tearing the roofs off houses.

From BBC

Officials fear the storm could be as devastating as Yagi in September last year - a deadly typhoon which killed hundreds of people across the region, including 300 in Vietnam alone.

From BBC

Chinese authorities issued flash flood warnings on Wednesday after a typhoon made landfall on China's eastern coast.

From BBC

Bird flu first arrived in North America in 2014, following a typhoon in Asia that impacted the North American Pacific Flyway, one of the major avian superhighways.

From Salon

The Philippines experienced a record-breaking six typhoons in just 30 days across October and November - this came after six months of storms.

From BBC

Related Words

• hurricane 
• tropical cyclone 
• tropical storm 

When To Use

What’s the difference between a typhoon, a hurricane, and a cyclone?

Typhoon, hurricane, and cyclone are all terms for big storms.Although the word cyclone is often used to refer to a big storm, it is, technically speaking, a large-scale, atmospheric wind-and-pressure system characterized by low pressure at its center and by circular wind motion. Because these generally produce clouds and precipitation, cyclones are often simply referred to as storms. When such storms form around the tropics, they are called tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones are classified based on their strength. They may start as tropical depressions and progress to tropical storms. The most severe tropical cyclones—those with winds of 74 mph (119 k/mh) or more—are called hurricanes or typhoons. Which term is used depends on where the storm occurs.Generally, storms that form over the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico are called hurricanes, while those that form over the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons. (The word hurricane is sometimes used for storms that form over the eastern or central North Pacific Ocean.)Cyclones rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.In casual use, the word cyclone is sometimes used to refer to a tornado (but it is not used this way in scientific contexts).Here’s an example of typhoon, hurricane, and cyclone used correctly in a sentence.Example: There have been many devastating cyclones this season, including a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico and multiple typhoons in the Pacific.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between typhoons, hurricanes, and cyclones.