whirlwind

CEFRB2

/ˈwɜːlwɪnd/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A strong spinning column of air, dust, or leaves.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A person or body of objects or events sweeping violently onward.

Examples

  • My friends gave us a whirlwind tour of Paris.

  • Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
3
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Rapid and minimal.

  2. 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.

More examples

In context

  • Once he got that new scooter he turned into a whirlwind and damaged all the flowers.

  • The weeks leading up to the convention were a whirlwind of preparation and hurried activity.

  • swept up in the whirlwind of war

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

A sudden blank of dust and debris swept through the desert.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English whirlewind, whirlewynde, equivalent to whirl + wind. Compare Middle Dutch wervelwint, Old Norse hvirfilvindr.