Crossword Clue: Turbulent tempest
Here's the answer to the Turbulent tempest crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: STORM
"Turbulent tempest" points to STORM, a 5-letter entry that starts with S and finishes on M and carries 1 vowel. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into STORM from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
A storm is a disturbed state of the atmosphere marked by strong winds, and often rain, lightning, or snow. The term comes from Old English 'storm' and is linked to the verb 'stir,' capturing the sense of the air being violently agitated.
Common usage
Compact, single-vowel answers such as STORM are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 5-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Storm belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 5 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "Turbulent tempest"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make STORM obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
Setters vary how they clue STORM — sometimes with a straight dictionary definition, sometimes with wordplay, a pun, or a fill-in-the-blank — but the answer itself stays the same. Learning to spot the answer behind the disguise is a core crossword skill.
Example sentences
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Turbulent tempest'? That's STORM nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed STORM was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing STORM into the grid took no time at all."