- a state or condition of confusion, movement, or agitation; disorder
- local instability in the atmosphere, oceans, or rivers
- turbulent flow in a liquid or gas
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
tur•bu•lence /ˈtɜrbyə ləns/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]a state in which water is made opaque because dirt has been stirred up:Turbulence prevented us from seeing clearly underwater.
swirling, uneven movement or motion in water or air:The car's forward motion creates turbulence. See -turb-.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- a state of confusion, disorder, or tumult:the turbulence of the revolution.
tur•bu•lence
(tûr′byə ləns),USA pronunciation n.
- the quality or state of being turbulent;
violent disorder or commotion. - Hydraulicsthe haphazard secondary motion caused by eddies within a moving fluid.
- [Meteorol.]irregular motion of the atmosphere, as that indicated by gusts and lulls in the wind.
- Late Latin turbulentia. See turbulent, -ence
- 1590–1600
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
turbulence /ˈtɜːbjʊləns/, (rarely) turbulency /ˈtɜːbjʊlənsɪ/ n
'turbulence' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):