williwaw

wil·li·waw

noun \ˈwi-li-ˌwȯ\

Definition of WILLIWAW

1

a : a sudden violent gust of cold land air common along mountainous coasts of high latitudes

b : a sudden violent wind

2

: a violent commotion

Examples of WILLIWAW

1. <the surprise verdict of the jury created a wild williwaw as reporters rushed to file their stories>
2. <a williwaw rose up seemingly out of nowhere and wreaked havoc with our campsite>

Origin of WILLIWAW

origin unknown

First Known Use: circa 1842

Related to WILLIWAW

Synonyms

ado, alarums and excursions, ballyhoo, blather, bluster, bobbery, bother, bustle, clatter, clutter [chiefly dialect], coil, corroboree [Australian], disturbance, do [chiefly dialect], foofaraw, fun, furor, furore, fuss, helter-skelter, hoo-ha (also hoo-hah), hoopla, hubble-bubble, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly, hurly-burly, hurricane, hurry, hurry-scurry (or hurry-skurry), kerfuffle [chiefly British], moil, pandemonium, pother, row, ruckus, ruction, rumpus, shindy, splore [Scottish], squall, stew, stir, storm, to-do, tumult, turmoil, uproar, welter, whirl, commotion, zoo

Related Words

cacophony, clamor, din, howl, hue and cry, noise, outcry, racket, roar; disorder, unrest, upheaval; eruption, flare-up, flurry, flutter, outbreak, outburst; brawl, fracas, fray, hassle, melee (also mêlée), scuffle; dither, fever, fret, lather, tizzy

Near Antonyms

calm, hush, peace, quiet, quietude, rest, stillness, tranquillity (or tranquility); order, orderliness

Rhymes with WILLIWAW

Arkansas, blue-sky law, canon law, Chickasaw, civil law, clapperclaw, common-law, crosscut saw, decree-law, devil's claw, foofaraw, higher law, homestead law, in the raw, keyhole saw, Kiowa, lantern jaw, lemon law, lumpy jaw, Mackinac, mackinaw, Morgenthau, Murphy's Law, overawe, overdraw, panama, private law, public law, roman law, saber saw, Saginaw, Salic law, son-in-law, tragic flaw, usquebaugh, Wichita, windlestraw, Yakima