From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtsunamitsu‧na‧mi /tsʊˈnɑːmi/ noun [countable] technicalHEO a very large wave, caused by extreme conditions such as an earthquake, which can cause a lot of damage when it reaches land
Examples from the Corpus
tsunami• In 1896, a tsunami on the Sanriku coast left 27,122 dead.• The result may be a wave of call attempts spreading like a tsunami, at the speed of light.• In general, both shock waves from airbursts and tsunami waves from ocean impacts may present serious hazards to populated areas.• Thousands more were killed by tsunamis in 1717 and again in 1854.• Fear of the electronic tsunami is misplaced.• In the 165 years from 1813 to 1978 Hawaii recorded no fewer than ninety-five tsunamis.• No one knows the height of the tsunami caused by this eruption.• Once the home of only a few sushi venues, our city now boasts a virtual tsunami of these eateries.Origin tsunami (1800-1900) Japanese “harbor wave” 