Meanings
noundownburst (plural downbursts)
plural downbursts
- climatologyA powerful downward air current, especially one during a thunderstorm, often creating powerful divergent horizontal winds and strong wind shear upon impacting the surface.
Origin
From down- + burst, coined by American meteorologist Horace R. Byers and Japanese and American meteorologist Tetsuya T. Fujita in November 1975.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish syöksyvirtaus
- syöksyvirtausair current
French rafale descendante
- rafale descendanteair current
Polish nawałnica, szkwał
- nawałnicaair current
- szkwałair current
Cite this entry
APA
downburst. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/downburst
MLA
“downburst.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/downburst. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “downburst,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/downburst.
Source: downburst on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.