tsunami
/(t)suːˈnɑːmi/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.52 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).
noun
A large and generally unstoppable surge.
Example Sentences
- "A tsunami struck Japan recently."
- "A wave simulator in the tank can re-enact tsunamis and northeasters, and imitate wave conditions from midocean."
- "One indispensable and thankless Unesco task is organizing tsunami warnings systems and pushing for tsunami education on risky shores around the world."
- "It seemed that what started out as a handful of isolated cases gradually turned into a tsunami of complaints."
- "It set off a tsunami of debate among the more esoteric critics, who either loved it or hated it but could not ignore it."
- "The next decade would culminate in a tsunami of legislation, civil litigation, and criminal prosecutions in which assisted suicide was both criminalized (as in Michigan) and decriminalized (as in Oregon)."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/
- British English: /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/