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stormbound

stormbound

7.9
Unable to leave a place because of a storm
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɔrmˌbaʊnd/
translation icon : atrapado por la tormenta
  • The travelers were stormbound at the airport due to heavy snowfall.

Examples

  • The hikers were stormbound in their mountain cabin for three days.

  • We are stormbound!

  • Hundreds of stormbound travelers filled the hotel lobby waiting for the weather to clear.

  • The ferry was stormbound, unable to leave the harbor until the waves subsided.

  • The travelers were stormbound at the airport.

  • We were stormbound for three days on the island, waiting for the weather to improve.

  • During the stormbound weekend, we decided to read books and play games indoors.

Synonyms

snowbound
vsstormbound
  • UK
4 5.2

Unable to leave a place because heavy snow blocks roads

is about being held up by violent storm conditions instead of snow
fogbound
vsstormbound
1 7.2

Covered in thick fog that makes it hard to see or travel

is about being unable to move because of dangerous storm conditions rather than visibility
weather-bound
vsstormbound
  • Specialized
8.2

Unable to leave or move because of bad weather

is specifically about delay caused by storms rather than any weather
icebound
vsstormbound
7.7

Thick ice surrounds ships and harbors, stopping boats and blocking access

is about being confined by strong storm weather not by frozen barriers

Antonyms

155 1.0

Able to move or come loose

1 4.6

Free to move forward without being stopped

How Mobile

mobile
81 2.7
delayed
1 1.3
stormbound
7.9
stranded
3 4.0

Surface Forms

stormbound positive

Morphology

stormbound = storm + bound (semi-transparent) = storm + bound

The compound 'storm' + 'bound' literally suggests being 'bound by a storm', but the sense of 'bound' = 'confined' may not be fully obvious to learners who know other senses of 'bound'.

Etymology

The word stormbound comes from joining storm and bound, where bound means 'held' or 'kept in place', as in snowbound or homebound. So someone who is stormbound cannot leave or move because the storm is keeping them there.