whirlwind
English · Thesaurus
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whirlwind
- /ˈwɜːlwɪnd/ UK
- /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr.
noun whirlwinds
- A windstorm of limited extent, such as a tornado, dust devil, or waterspout, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. VVhile in the mean time there iſſued out on the Eaſt-ſide a ſtrong VVind, but pure and refreſhing, vvhich dividing into ſeveral parts that turned round became ſo many innocuous VVhirl-vvinds of ſincere Air, tinctured only vvith a cool refreſhing ſmell, as if it had paſſed over ſome large field of Li
- A person or body of objects or events sweeping violently onward. Once he got that new scooter he turned into a whirlwind and damaged all the flowers.
adjective
- Rapid and minimal. a whirlwind tour, a whirlwind romance
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: tornado, cyclone, storm, snowstorm, tempest, eddy, flurry, vorticity, vortex, maelstrom, whirlpool, swirl, whirl, twister, shuttle, quick
Translations
Every language
noun violent windstorm of limited extent characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air
| Español | torbellino |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 선풍 seonpung |
| 日本語 | 旋風 tsumujikaze |
| 中文 | 旋風 /旋风 xuànfēng, 飆 /飙 biāo |
| हिन्दी | बवंडर bavaṇḍar, चक्रवात cakravāt |
| Português | turbilhão |
| Français | cyclone |
| Deutsch | Wirbelwind, Wirbelsturm |
| Italiano | turbine |
| Ελληνικά | ανεμοστρόβιλος anemostróvilos |
| Русский | вихрь vixrʹ, смерч smerč |
| Tiếng Việt | gió lốc, lốc |
| العربية | زَوْبَعَة zawbaʕa |
noun body of objects or events sweeping violently onward
| Español | tromba |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 一片忙亂 /一片忙乱 yī piàn mángluàn |
| Deutsch | Wirbelwind |
| Ελληνικά | λαίλαπα laílapa, ανεμοστρόβιλος anemostróvilos |
| Русский | урага́н uragán |
Talk about this word "whirlwind." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whirlwind. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. whirlwind. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whirlwind "whirlwind." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whirlwind.Cite this
@misc{whirlwind_2026,
title = {whirlwind},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whirlwind},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
