Home › Glossary › Letter D

Downburst

Weather
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A powerful downward rush of air from a thunderstorm that spreads outward at the ground.

Detailed Definition
A downburst occurs when cooled air descends rapidly from a storm cloud and strikes the ground with enough force to produce damaging straight-line winds. It may flatten crops, break trees, and resemble a small tornado without rotating. In poetry, the downburst offers an image of abrupt descent: a force from above that scatters certainty, bends the visible world, and leaves stunned stillness behind.
Example
Example in poetry:
A downburst struck the field, flattening the tall grass with a sudden rush of air; “The downburst bent the oaks as if the sky had put its hand upon them,” conveys violent weather; A poet can use a downburst to show how quickly a peaceful afternoon becomes threatening; The debris left after a downburst may echo the emotional aftermath of anger or loss
Additional Notes
Unlike a tornado, a downburst descends from a storm and spreads outward; it can symbolize abrupt force or collapse.
Other Meanings of “Downburst”
Also Known As
Downdraft
Skip to main content