| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: |
1 [countable]HEM a period of very bad weather when there is a lot of rain or snow, strong winds, and often lightning :
a dust storm
a summer storm
a dust storm
a summer storm2 [countable usually singular] a situation in which people suddenly express very strong feelings about something that someone has said or done :
storm of protest/abuse/criticism etc
Government plans for hospital closures provoked a storm of protest.
Government plans for hospital closures provoked a storm of protest.3
take somewhere by storm
a) to be very successful in a particular place :
The new show took London by storm.
The new show took London by storm.b) to attack a place using large numbers of soldiers, and succeed in getting possession of it
4 to experience a difficult period and reach the end of it without being harmed or damaged too much :
I'll stay and weather the storm.
weather the storm
I'll stay and weather the storm.5 an unnecessary expression of strong feelings about something that is very unimportant
a storm in a teacup
British English6 to do something with all your energy :
They were dancing up a storm.
dance/sing/cook etc up a storm
They were dancing up a storm.
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