1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

williwaw

noun

ˈwi-li-ˌwȯ How to pronounce williwaw (audio)
Definition of williwawnext
1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity the surprise verdict of the jury created a wild williwaw as reporters rushed to file their stories

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gust
a sudden brief rush of wind a williwaw rose up seemingly out of nowhere and wreaked havoc with our campsite

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of williwaw The williwaw, a gale-force wind that came rolling down the mountain gathering speed, was depicted as a whorled cloud. — Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for williwaw
  1. commotion
  2. gust
  3. disturbance
  4. blow
  5. hurry
  6. breeze
  7. stir
  8. scud
Noun
  • No one had seen anyone enter the property or even heard any commotion that morning.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2026
  • According to the warrant, the victim was only able to escape when a coach heard the commotion, entered the locker room and told the boys to settle down.
    — Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of commotion
Noun
  • Wind speeds will range from 11 to 14 mph, with gusts projected to reach 26 mph.
    — The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Sun, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The primary threats will be frequent lightning, wind gusts up to 50 mph, and locally heavy rainfall of 1–3 inches, which could cause quick ponding or localized flooding.
    — Keily Alfonzo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of gust
Noun
  • The person upstairs came down, confronted the man involved in the disturbance and shot him at least once, according to the release.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The ecological consequences of losing what remains Some coastal old-growth stands on Vancouver Island have not experienced a major disturbance since the end of the last ice age some 12,000 years ago.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbance
Noun
  • If last year’s bill delays were a blow to budgets, distribution troubles were the uppercut.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • While often associated with blows to the head during contact sports, concussions are common at all ages.
    — Richard Sima, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • For the day, the Steelers had four sacks, four quarterback hurries, three additional tackles for loss and four passes batted down by defensive linemen, and four of Atlanta’s offensive linemen were called for holding at least once.
    — Josh Kendall, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
  • Armondo Blount had Miami’s only sack, and PFF credited UM with only seven quarterback hurries (three by Blount, and one apiece by Omar Thornton, Chase Smith, Lightfoot and Justin Scott).
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of hurry
Noun
  • Gusts up to 35 mph out of the north are possible, with the breeze pushing south toward Fresno.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Each kit includes 36 pre-bonded clusters—enough for six applications—plus a non-stick applicator that makes placement a breeze.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of breeze
Noun
  • After Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon caused a stir by resigning with a grave warning about the technology's potential risks, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei responded with an essay saying that the industry might need to slow the pace of its work.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Yet the notice has also raised a stir in the mathematics community for another reason.
    — Karina Tsui, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stir
Noun
  • In low, clear water when trout are spooky, a bait presented on a dry fly or scud hook will drift more naturally with the current and that can mean the difference between a take and a pass.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Likewise, tiny freshwater shrimp called scuds provide another winter food source.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 2 Nov. 2023
Definition of scud

Browse Nearby Words

willingness
williwaw
williwaws
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Williwaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/williwaw. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All