to take by storm
- phrasal verb
- /teɪk baɪ stɔrm/
- Informal
- The new smartphone model has taken the market by storm, selling out within hours of its release.
- taking the world by storm
You either take the world by storm or you disappear.
- You either take the world by storm or you disappear.
- Ted has quite frankly taken the nation by storm.
- So this is super exciting and it's taking the academic world by storm.
- I actually wanted to do a proper wear test of the L'Oreal powder, the viral TikTok powder that has taken the Internet by storm.
- Cynthia burst onto the West End and Broadway stages in the colour purple and has since taken the world by storm.
Examples
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Since then, the Acne brand took the fashion industry by storm worldwide.
Blog text (12) -
Our next guest has created a new fitness craze that's taking the nation by storm.
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This was the first president that really took social media by storm and used it in a direct way.
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These boys are going to take this country by storm.
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This young rock star is about to take Chicago by storm.
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You either take the world by storm or you disappear.
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Disco has taken the city by storm.
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Simply by taking well-known pop songs and changing the lyrics, Yankovic has taken the world by storm.
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Throughout her lifetime, Coco Chanel broke barriers and took the fashion world by storm.
Blog text (30) -
The new Falcon from Novint Technologies Inc. of Albuquerque, N.M., lists for $239 and has taken the gaming world by storm.
Academic text (2007)
Synonyms
To become successful or popular very quickly
To spread very quickly online and reach many people
To become very popular quickly, often online
Many people start to like or use something
To get the most attention or praise at an event
Get a lot of attention in an exciting way
To become very successful and famous in your work
To sell very quickly because many people want it
To become very popular quickly, especially online
Become the main focus of people's attention after doing something important
Become very popular or successful very quickly
To become very popular with customers and sell a lot very quickly
Make someone suddenly very famous
Antonyms
How Popular
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('take' = seize, 'storm' = attack suddenly) give a clear metaphor of sudden capture or overwhelming force, so a learner could infer a sense of overwhelming or dominating. However, the specific modern sense 'to become extremely popular or successful' is a metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so prior exposure is often needed for the precise nuance.
Etymology
Take by storm The idiom take by storm comes from old battles, when soldiers would take a town by a sudden attack, sweeping in like a fierce storm. So, today it means to 'suddenly' become very popular or successful and surprise many people.