a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption; "a colossal tsunami destroyed the Minoan civilization in minutes"
an obvious change of public opinion or political sentiment that occurs without leadership or overt expression; "there was a ground swell of antiwar sentiment"
a note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it
the articulation of a consonant (especially the consonant `r') with a rapid flutter of the tongue against the palate or uvula; "he pronounced his R's with a distinct trill"
pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme `r'; "Some speakers trill their r's"
throw into great confusion or disorder; "Fundamental Islamicists threaten to perturb the social order in Algeria and Egypt"
disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed; "She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill"
cause a celestial body to deviate from a theoretically regular orbital motion, especially as a result of interposed or extraordinary gravitational pull; "The orbits of these stars were perturbed by the passings of a comet"
disturb or interfere with the usual path of an electron or atom; "The electrons were perturbed by the passing ion"
a wave resulting from the periodic flow of the tides that is caused by the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun
an unusual (and often destructive) rise of water along the seashore caused by a storm or a combination of wind and high tide
an overwhelming manifestation of some emotion or phenomenon; "a tidal wave of nausea"; "the flood of letters hit him with the force of a tidal wave"; "a tidal wave of crime"
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking); "My grandmother is hard of hearing--you'll have to shout"
utter a sudden loud cry; "she cried with pain when the doctor inserted the needle"; "I yelled to her from the window but she couldn't hear me"
physical assistance; "give me a hand with the chores"
terminal part of the forelimb in certain vertebrates (e.g. apes or kangaroos); "the kangaroo's forearms seem undeveloped but the powerful five-fingered hands are skilled at feinting and clouting"- Springfield (Mass.) Union
a rotating pointer on the face of a timepiece; "the big hand counts the minutes"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb; "he had the hands of a surgeon"; "he extended his mitt"
ability; "he wanted to try his hand at singing"
one of two sides of an issue; "on the one hand..., but on the other hand..."
a round of applause to signify approval; "give the little lady a great big hand"
the cards held in a card game by a given player at any given time; "I didn't hold a good hand all evening"; "he kept trying to see my hand"
a position given by its location to the side of an object; "objections were voiced on every hand"
a member of the crew of a ship; "all hands on deck"
a unit of length equal to 4 inches; used in measuring horses; "the horse stood 20 hands"
guide or conduct or usher somewhere; "hand the elderly lady into the taxi"