whirlwind

1 of 2

noun

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

whirlwind

2 of 2

adjective

: resembling a whirlwind especially in speed or force

a whirlwind campaign

a whirlwind romance

Synonyms of whirlwind

Adjective

• rapid
• brisk
• quick
• fast
• galloping

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

Noun

The Tampa Bay Rays have navigated a whirlwind of transactions at and since the trade deadline. — Tom Layberger, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

The consistent playing time, even in a whirlwind situation, helped Metchie gain confidence in his ability to adapt to a new playbook. — Mike Kaye august 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026

Adjective

The two of them had a whirlwind couple of months, stopping by the Coachella stage to play with Karol G and hitting the World Cup opening ceremony for a headline-making performance. — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 10 Aug. 2026

Zelenskyy made the request directly to Trump in an Oval Office meeting this week during his whirlwind trip to Washington, according to one person familiar with the matter. — Lisa Mascaro, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1727, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for whirlwind

• chagrined
• downwind
• rescind
• upwind
• woodwind
• finned
• ginned
• grinned
• pinned
• sinned
• skinned
• thinned

Kids 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