French word

orage

Pronunciation

IPA/oʁaʒ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounthunderstorm

Example

Un orage éclate ce soir.

A thunderstorm breaks out tonight.

Illustration for orage (thunderstorm)

More examples

Pendant l'orage, les enfants sont restés à l'intérieur.

During the thunderstorm, the children stayed indoors.

Core concept

An overhead storm cell that suddenly turns the air into lightning, thunder, and heavy short-lived rain.

Common phrases

  • avant l'orage

    before the thunderstorm

  • pendant l'orage

    during the thunderstorm

  • après l'orage

    after the thunderstorm

Similar words

pluie: Water droplets falling from the sky.
tonnerre: The sound or occurrence of thunder during a storm.
averse: A sudden, brief, heavy shower.
tempête: A severe storm with very strong winds over land or sea.

Definition in French

Perturbation atmosphérique localisée caractérisée par des décharges électriques (éclairs) et du tonnerre, souvent accompagnée d'averses intenses.

Word origin

The modern French word continues the Old French form orage, whose ultimate etymology remains uncertain.

Usage tips

  • Orage focuses on electrical storm activity, whereas tempête focuses more broadly on strong wind and rough weather.

Other meanings

  • stormnoun

Opposites

  • accalmielullnoun

Related words

  • orageuxstormyadjective

Word lists with this word