hurricane

plural hurricanes · alternative hero-cane · alternative hurrican

1. A severe tropical cyclone; an intense storm rotating around a central eye.First known use 16th c.

   Whole villages have been leveled by the hurricane coastal residents braced for.

   1 more example

   Without going over the ground so well occupied by those able writers on the subject of storms — Redfield, Reid, Piddington, and Thom—it will be quite sufficient for our present purpose simply to notice the essential phænomena of revolving storms as manifested by the barometer and vane. The usual indications of a storm in connexion with these instruments are the falling of the barometer and the freshening of the wind, and it is generally considered that a rapid fall of the mercury in the hurricane regions invariably precedes the setting in of a storm. There are three classes of phænomena that present themselves to an observer, according as he is situated on the line or axis of translation, or in either the right or left hand semicircle of the storm. These will be rendered very apparent by a little attention to the annexed engraving, fig. 1. In this figure the arrow-head is supposed to be directed true north, and the hurricane—as is the case in the American storms north of the 30th parallel—to be moving towards the N.E. on the line N.E.–S.W. If the ship take the hurricane with the wind S.E.,— the letters within the two larger circles indicating the direction of the wind in the storm according to the rotation as shown by the circle of arrow-heads […]

   1850, William Radcliffe Birt, “Phænomena of revolving storms”, in The Hurricane Guide: Being an Attempt to Connect the Rotatory Gale Or Revolving Storm with Atmospheric Waves. Including Instructions for Observing the Phænomena of the Waves and Storms ; with Practical Directions for Avoiding the Centres of the Latter, London, England: John Murray, Publisher to the Admiralty, pages 8-9

2. climatologyA severe tropical cyclone in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, or in the eastern North Pacific off the west coast of Mexico, with winds of 119 km/h (74 miles per hour) or greater accompanied by rain, lightning, and thunder that sometimes moves into temperate latitudes.First known use 20th c.

   Near-synonyms: typhoon, cyclone

   2 more examples

   Janice was a tropical depression 10 days ago, a tropical storm 5 days ago, and a hurricane yesterday and today.

   An extreme version of vorticity is a vortex. The vortex is a spinning, cyclonic mass of fluid, which can be observed in the rotation of water going down a drain, as well as in smoke rings, tornados and hurricanes.

   2013 March 28, Frank Fish, George Lauder, “Not Just Going with the Flow”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 01 May 2013, page 114

   Synonyms: typhoon, cyclone

3. figurativelyA great forceful onrush.

   [A]fter all thoſe Hurricans of Fury and Violence are novv blovvn over, vve enjoy a ſerene Air, and the happy quiet vvhich vve had ſo much long'd for.

   1687, L[ucius] C[aecilius] F[irmianus] Lactantius, translated by Gilbert Burnet, A Relation of the Death of the Primitive Persecutors. […], Amsterdam: […] J[ohn] S[tarkey], →OCLC, paragraph I, page 56

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   Her hands snaked down to her sides and suddenly she had torn away the strip of lace. She threw it into the audience. There was nothing now but a single black G-string. The drums went into a hurricane of sexual rhythm.

   1954, Ian Fleming, “Table Z”, in Live and Let Die, London: Pan Books, published 1957, page 59

   A movement of women who wanted to win greater rights had to be able to move forward against a hurricane of lesbian-baiting from the political establishment of the Cold War capitalists.

   2006 February 5, Leslie Feinberg, “Lesbian organizing and 'red feminism'”, in Workers World

4. cocktailsA sweet alcoholic drink made with rum, lemon juice (or sometimes other fruit juice), and either passion fruit syrup or fassionola.

present singular third person hurricanes · participle present hurricaning · participle past hurricaned · past hurricaned · alternative hero-cane · alternative hurrican

1. ambitransitiveTo be violent, with winds of 119 km/h (74 miles per hour) or greater, usually accompanied by rain, lightning, and thunder.

   I guess it did storm. I guess it hurricaned.

   1907, Anne Warner, The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary, page 188

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   Through the night it rained, hurricaned; sashes rattled; the chimney smoked; a lobby-door was ajar, and kept banging to and fro.

   1872 September, Matthew Stradling, “The Misadventures of Mr. Catlyne, Q.C.”, in Fraser's Magazine, page 375

   So I got inside my 'possum-skin—it hurricaned an' snowed— And I started for the Deepot, and lit out for his abode.

   1897, Philip Neville, Marginal Notes: In Indian Ink, page 261

   He is substituting for Rudy Black, who is our Resource Manager, who was hurricaned out of an appearance today because he could not get back from vacation.

   1980, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Hearings, Reports and Prints of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, page 105

2. To move noisily, quickly, and dramatically, becoming the center of attention.

   The Super nodded wisely, 'I agree, constable. See to it, Forbes!' and with that hurricaned out.

   2022, Bill Watson, Judokill

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   While thus employed, Mrs. Winthrop hurricaned into the room, and having received explanations, hurricaned forth again to tell her husband how dreadfully thoughtless his arrangement was, since Frank would have to take Miss Allenby into dinner.

   1911, Edward Frederic Benson, Account Rendered, page 24

   They must have told him I was ready for visitors; he hurricaned into the room, slung a chair away from the wall and banged it down next to the bed.

   2014, Harlan Ellison, Children of the Streets

   Angela Stripe was a force of nature. Bold and brave and brassy in a warm way, she never breezed in, she hurricaned.

   2023, Rick Broadbent, Now Then: A Biography of Yorkshire

3. To attempt to accomplish a great deal with a frenzied effort.

   "A clean home is a good home," she'd say as she hurricaned from room to room with vacuum cleaner and feather duster, hands gauntleted in Marigolds.

   2012, James Lovegrove, Age of Anansi

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   There were still spots on the mirror I had cleaned and tiny bits of newspaper were stuck in its edges where I had hurricaned through in my initial cleaning frenzy.

   2011, Geri Larkin, Stumbling Toward Enlightenment, page 81

   Lara was running in and out of shops, her brain buzzing, ticking off items as she hurricaned through open doors to the sound of jingle bells and fifties crooners.

   2020, Janet Hoggarth, The Single Mums' Secrets

4. To swirl quickly and violently.

   A whole swirl of turnarounds hurricaned from him.

   2014, D.H. Melhem, Heroism in the New Black Poetry: Introductions and Interviews

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   Kona responded as air hurricaned out of the bay and water rushed in.

   2020, Erik Seedhouse, Terminal Reality

   Like a cadaver dog, she latched onto his scent again and when it hurricaned around in her cerebral fluids with those dirty, honest, direct thoughts on capturing her lover, she couldn't stop herself from taking aggressive action.

   2021, Will Sly, Mystery's, page 20

5. To tear apart in a violent, destructive, and/or chaotic manner.

   The other girls whispered to us 'He's hurricaning the room.'

   2017, Bethan Greener, Army Fundamentals

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   Urganda, hurricaned with violent perturbation of mind commences the fourth act; and, after a soliloquy, or rather incantation, raises a dæmon of revenge;

   1770, Francis Gentleman, The Dramatic Censor, page 429

   My personal life has been hurricaned in the last month, not by the war particularly, but by having to decide not to “live in sin” after trying it for a few days.

   2009, Robert W. Malcolmson, Olivia Cockett, Love and War in London: A Woman’s Diary 1939-1942, page 15

   Sharon gratefully assumed I'd hurricaned my last kitchen with my flour-tossing talents.

   2009, Brian Brett, Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life

   And within the Soviet Union itself, it is said that some of its underdeveloped territories were hurricaned by revolutionary dynamics from a feudal to a socialist structure.

   2015, W.E Abraham, The Mind of Africa, page 157

   Though Tafolla has always addressed the themes of suffering, persevering, and surviving within her expansive body of work, many of her writings exploring what she refers to as that "hurricaned" time period of cancer, the mastectomy, her role as a “cancer veteran," and the "Trinity of Deaths" remain in stacks of papers and handwritten journals, polished but percolating patiently along with some of her unfinished works—her scurrying utterances found clutched to the edges of crumple receipts, scratched onto torn envelopes, and etched into the surfaces of folders, book covers, and small boxes piling up on top of her desk.

   2023, Norma Elia Cantú, Chicana Portraits, page 189

6. To cause an uproar.

   It blew open. It hurricaned onto shore.

   2011, Timothy Taylor, The Blue Light Project, page 78

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   What do they therefore but quickly get themselves into a body, and fall forthwith to hurricaning in Mansoul, as if now nothing but whirlwind and tempest should be there.

   1678, John Bunyan, The pilgrim's progress

7. To storm excessively; to fume and rage violently.

   He rang for the cook, and stormed and hurricaned and cycloned at her until the rain-clouds burst, and she wept.

   1898, William Carter Platts, A Few Smiles, page 72

8. To chase violently or rush after and force along.

   I'll get swirled up in it. Tornadoed. Hurricaned.

   2019, Robert Radnor, The Man Who Stories, page 205

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   As he hurricaned toward her, she turned and ran to the drop-off place.

   1918, Adventure - Volume 17, Part 2, page 180

   Then they would all be in a confused clutter and cluster there, and there would be a mad stampede when The Black Watch hurricaned on their heels from behind, and several bags, boxes and barrels, if not virtually all, would fall in their wild rush for The Pra, their wounded and sick abandoned in a blood filled litter and sprawl over the raging sands.

   2010, Melvin F. Compton, Black Lions: A First on Ashanti, page 366

   Was there a sudden general strike, perhaps, sweeping up the doctors and nurses as it hurricaned upon them?

   2014, Richard Gordon, Doctor At Large, page 99

   The One Stop clerk, a college student named Abel Langtry, gawked at the car chase as it hurricaned past in the rain.

   2019, David J. Schow, The Kill Riff

plural hurricanes

1. aerial freestyle"full—triple-full—full" – an acrobatic maneuver consisting of three flips and five twists, with one twist on the first flip, three twists on the second flip, one twist on the third flip

1. A locality in the Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia.
2. A number of places in the United States:
   1. An unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama.
   2. An unincorporated community in Perry County, Kentucky.
   3. An unincorporated community in Crooked Creek Township, Bollinger County, Missouri.
   4. An unincorporated community in Washington County, Missouri.
   5. An unincorporated community in Madison County, North Carolina.
   6. A city in Washington County, Utah.
   7. A city in Putnam County, West Virginia.
   8. An unincorporated community in Beetown, Grant County, Wisconsin.

plural Hurricanes

1. historicalA British fighter aircraft used during World War II, especially during the Battle of Britain.