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# tornado

noun (a tornado, tornadoes or tornados)

«tornado» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A tornado is a very strong, spinning column of wind that reaches from a storm cloud down to the ground, shaped like a funnel. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#m1)
2. Figuratively, a person who moves fast and makes a mess is like a tornado. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and geography, tornadoes form in big thunderstorms, especially in the central USA («Tornado Alley»); their winds can destroy houses. In safety lessons: in a tornado warning, go to a basement or a small inside room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Phrases: tornado warning, tornado watch, Tornado Alley.

### Examples

- A tornado looks like a spinning funnel. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x1)
- The tornado destroyed three barns. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x2)
- When the siren sounds, go to the basement. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x3)
- Tornadoes happen most often in the USA. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x4)
- In The Wizard of Oz, a tornado carries Dorothy's house away. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x5)
- Stay away from windows during a tornado. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x6)
- My little brother ran through the room like a tornado. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x7)
- Scientists chase tornadoes to study them. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/#x8)

### Note

Plural: tornadoes (more common) or tornados. A tornado is not a hurricane: a hurricane is a huge storm over the ocean hundreds of kilometres wide; a tornado is narrow and forms over land. Also called a twister. A watch means one could happen; a warning means one is happening or about to.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «tornado» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/tornado/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«tornado» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/tornado.html) on Mova free.