Tsunami Meaning
/(t)suːˈnɑːmi/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA 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).
nounA large and generally unstoppable surge.
Sentence Examples
The coast was warned against a tsunami.
There was an earthquake and, in addition, there was a tsunami.
A tsunami early warning system was set up in Hawaii.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A powerful underwater earthquake triggered a massive ____ that destroyed the coast.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A massive ____ was triggered by the powerful undersea earthquake, causing widespread damage along the coast today.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A wave simulator in the tank can re-enact tsunamis and northeasters, and imitate wave conditions from midocean."
— 2007 February 20, Tina Kelley, “A Wet Wind Tunnel So Ships Can Move Faster and Better”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 18 Dec 2022:
"One indispensable and thankless Unesco task is organizing tsunami warnings systems and pushing for tsunami education on risky shores around the world."
— 2011 November 11, Andrew C. Revkin, “Dot Connection: From Palestinian Politics to Tsunami Warnings”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 16 Nov 2011:
"It seemed that what started out as a handful of isolated cases gradually turned into a tsunami of complaints."
— 2009, John Bernard Kelly, An Accidental Atheist: A Memoir, Aquinine books, →ISBN, page 306:
"It set off a tsunami of debate among the more esoteric critics, who either loved it or hated it but could not ignore it."
— 2009, Marc Eliot, American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood, Crown Archetype, →ISBN, page 86:
"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)."
— 2012, Demetra M. Pappas, The Euthanasia/Assisted-Suicide Debate, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 60:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A powerful underwater earthquake triggered a massive ____ that destroyed the coast.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A massive ____ was triggered by the powerful undersea earthquake, causing widespread damage along the coast today.