whirl·wind
ˈ(h)wər(-ə)l-ˌwind 
1
: a small rotating windstorm of limited extent
2
a
: a confused rush : whirl
a whirlwind of meetings
b
: a violent or destructive force or agency
: resembling a whirlwind especially in speed or force
a whirlwind campaign
a whirlwind romance
Synonyms
Examples of whirlwind in a Sentence
Noun
My life has been a whirlwind lately.
He attended a whirlwind of meetings.
Adjective
The band went on a whirlwind concert tour.
They were married after a whirlwind romance.
We continued on at a whirlwind pace.
Recent Examples on the Web
Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
These are the 14 travel essentials that topped my packing list, and ensured that my whirlwind ,two-week trip was smooth and effortless – even with just a carry-on.
—Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024
Christian Nodal has caused a whirlwind on social media after sharing new photos of himself without his face tattoos on Tuesday (April 9).
—Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
The moments after a cancer diagnosis are filled with a whirlwind of emotions: fear, despair, and anxiety, to name a few.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
She was swept up into that whirlwind quickly, initially joining for British dates, then a long American tour and then, over just the first half of 1973, another American tour, two weeks in Japan, and two more British tours.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
As in any whirlwind affair, irrational behavior ensues.
—The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have differing opinions about how to best navigate the end of their whirlwind romance.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
After her whirlwind SoCal tour, organizers Monday said, Biden headed back to Washington to teach her regular English class.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Tatyana Turner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2023
The All-Star weekend in Cleveland that kindled much reflection for Shaquille O’Neal spilled over, to his apparent surprise, during his whirlwind two-day visit to North Texas this week.
—Dallas News, 24 Feb. 2022
The actor is the midst of an intense, whirlwind media tour where he is asked to relay these horrors on an almost hourly basis.
—Karen Heller, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2022
Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, struck a tentative deal to acquire FTX after a whirlwind 48 hours during which a slide in the price of a coin issued by FTX quickly led to a wider liquidity crunch at the company.
—Elaine Yu, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2022
Yesterday, the actress had a whirlwind 24 hours that involved talk show and red-carpet appearances.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Oct. 2022
The pair ended up going home together that night, kicking off a romance that was less whirlwind than maelstrom.
—Matthew Dessem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
The superstar couple were married late Saturday night in a whirlwind Vegas ceremony.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 July 2022
The move is the latest in a whirlwind 24 hours for the vaping company, which was ordered to shut down all U.S. sales Thursday afternoon.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 June 2022
Noun
Turner, who lives in Indiana, and Nist, who’s based in New Jersey, had planned to move in together after getting hitched in a whirlwind wedding in January.
—Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024
These are the 14 travel essentials that topped my packing list, and ensured that my whirlwind ,two-week trip was smooth and effortless – even with just a carry-on.
—Asia London Palomba, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024
Christian Nodal has caused a whirlwind on social media after sharing new photos of himself without his face tattoos on Tuesday (April 9).
—Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
The moments after a cancer diagnosis are filled with a whirlwind of emotions: fear, despair, and anxiety, to name a few.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
She was swept up into that whirlwind quickly, initially joining for British dates, then a long American tour and then, over just the first half of 1973, another American tour, two weeks in Japan, and two more British tours.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
As in any whirlwind affair, irrational behavior ensues.
—The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan have differing opinions about how to best navigate the end of their whirlwind romance.
—Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
After her whirlwind SoCal tour, organizers Monday said, Biden headed back to Washington to teach her regular English class.
—Faith E. Pinho, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Adjective
In a whirlwind 24 hours last week, Jenni Trilik and Marcus Contaldo went from being $216,000 in debt and the owners of nearly 30,000 bags of unsold coffee to utterly overwhelmed with support.
—Tatyana Turner, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2023
The All-Star weekend in Cleveland that kindled much reflection for Shaquille O’Neal spilled over, to his apparent surprise, during his whirlwind two-day visit to North Texas this week.
—Dallas News, 24 Feb. 2022
The actor is the midst of an intense, whirlwind media tour where he is asked to relay these horrors on an almost hourly basis.
—Karen Heller, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2022
Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, struck a tentative deal to acquire FTX after a whirlwind 48 hours during which a slide in the price of a coin issued by FTX quickly led to a wider liquidity crunch at the company.
—Elaine Yu, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2022
Yesterday, the actress had a whirlwind 24 hours that involved talk show and red-carpet appearances.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Oct. 2022
The pair ended up going home together that night, kicking off a romance that was less whirlwind than maelstrom.
—Matthew Dessem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2022
The superstar couple were married late Saturday night in a whirlwind Vegas ceremony.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 July 2022
The move is the latest in a whirlwind 24 hours for the vaping company, which was ordered to shut down all U.S. sales Thursday afternoon.
—Nicholas Florko, STAT, 28 June 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whirlwind.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to whirlwind
Dictionary Entries Near whirlwind
Cite this Entry
“Whirlwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whirlwind. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whirlwind
1 of 2 noun
whirl·wind
-ˌwind
: a small windstorm of rapidly rotating air
whirlwind
2 of 2 adjective
: resembling a whirlwind especially in speed or force
a whirlwind campaign
a whirlwind romance
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share