TURBULENCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does turbulence mean? 

• TURBULENCE (noun)
  The noun TURBULENCE has 3 senses:

1. unstable flow of a liquid or gas

2. instability in the atmosphere

3. a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)

  Familiarity information: TURBULENCE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TURBULENCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Unstable flow of a liquid or gas

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

turbulence; turbulency

Hypernyms ("turbulence" is a kind of...):

physical phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "turbulence"):

countercurrent; crosscurrent; rip; riptide; tide rip (a stretch of turbulent water in a river or the sea caused by one current flowing into or across another current)

Derivation:

turbulent ((of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Instability in the atmosphere

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("turbulence" is a kind of...):

bad weather; inclemency; inclementness (weather unsuitable for outdoor activities)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "turbulence"):

clear-air turbulence (strong turbulence in an otherwise cloudless region that subjects aircraft to violent updrafts or downdrafts)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

Sturm und Drang; turbulence; upheaval

Context example:

the industrial revolution was a period of great turbulence

Hypernyms ("turbulence" is a kind of...):

disorder (a disturbance of the peace or of public order)

Domain category:

government; political science; politics (the study of government of states and other political units)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "turbulence"):

agitation; ferment; fermentation; tempestuousness; unrest (a state of agitation or turbulent change or development)

roller coaster (anything characterized by abrupt and extreme changes (especially up and down))

violence (a turbulent state resulting in injuries and destruction etc.)

Derivation:

turbulent (characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination)

 Context examples 

“The front dune generates the turbulence pattern which we see on the back dune,” said Vriend.

(Sand dunes can ‘communicate’ with each other, University of Cambridge)

The study found that wave turbulence enhances algae growth, likely because the motion of the water promotes the delivery of nutrients.

(Galapagos sea life study highlights importance of biodiversity in the face of climate change, National Science Foundation)

This new moon is not an eclipse and may bring financial turbulence that you will need to watch.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The scientists then analyzed this information to quantify what kind of turbulence exists in the region, which provided the final smoking gun of an HFA.

(Messenger spots giant space weather effects at Mercury, NASA)

A procedure that uses sound waves to measure characteristics of disturbed bood flow, such as direction, velocity and turbulence.

(Doppler Echocardiography, NCI Thesaurus)

There's a lot of turbulence, and it's bubbling.

(Telescopes Uncover Early Construction of Giant Galaxy, NASA)

Mixing of dry ingredients by dispersion and turbulence within a flowing stream of gas.

(Dry Powder Pneumatic Mixing, NCI Thesaurus)

The turbulence caused by the boat sliding through the water excites the plankton to emit light, which reveals the existence of the the turbulent regions in the underlying dark water.

(ALMA Finds Huge Hidden Reservoirs of Turbulent Gas in Distant Galaxies, ESO)

They have also made the first map of the velocities of material in the atmosphere of a star other than the Sun, revealing unexpected turbulence in Antares’s huge extended atmosphere.

(Best Ever Image of a Star’s Surface and Atmosphere, ESO)

As the cold front travels through the galaxy cluster, it passes through a harsh environment of sound waves and turbulence caused by outbursts from the supermassive black hole at the center of Perseus.

(Scientists Surprised by Relentless Cosmic Cold Front, NASA)