eddy

noun ed·dy \ ˈe-dē \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: eddy in a Sentence

Definition of eddy

plural eddies

1 a : a current of water or air running contrary to the main current; especially : a circular current : whirlpool

b : something moving similarly

2 : a contrary or circular current (as of thought or policy)

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eddy was our Word of the Day on 10/16/2010. Hear the podcast!

Examples of eddy in a Sentence

The boat was caught in a powerful eddy.

Recent Examples of eddy from the Web

These eddies then transfer their energy into even smaller structures, and so on down.

— joshua sokol, WIRED, "Flattened Fluids Help Scientists Understand Oceans and Atmospheres," 7 July 2018
Redbreasts haunt Central Texas rivers, concentrating in the eddies and channels and deep pools where current is light or absent.

— shannon tompkins staff writer, San Antonio Express-News, "June spawn signals peak in Texas sunfish action," 7 June 2018
The researchers compared it to the way eddies form around a rock in a river.

— ashley strickland, CNN, "Three 'baby' planets found forming around newborn star," 13 June 2018
The red boat accelerated, and Milton dipped into an eddy behind Treat Island and slingshotted into the lead.

— porter fox, WSJ, "A Seafood Hater Chases Fish in Maine," 6 June 2018
Dabiri was surprised at how big these eddies were, relative to the size of the shrimp.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "Tiny shrimp may be mixing ocean water as much as the wind and waves," 18 Apr. 2018
Amid the swirls and eddies are suggestions of bodily orifices.

— sharon mizota, latimes.com, "At Blum & Poe, bow down to the ecstatic painting of Mimi Lauter," 30 May 2018
In summer, the water warms up and the river eddies are great spots to jump in, cool off and float around.

— tom stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Rafters launch stellar season for rivers, water sports," 13 May 2018
But the researchers did discover that flapping fins produce eddies or swirls that rise to the surface.

— david hambling, Popular Mechanics, "How Robot Stingrays Could One Day Sink a Battleship," 3 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'eddy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of eddy

Middle English (Scots) ydy, probably from Old Norse itha

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Oceanography Terms

littoral, sound

eddy

verb

Definition of eddy

eddied; eddying

transitive verb

: to cause to move in an eddy

intransitive verb

: to move in an eddy or in the manner of an eddy

See eddy defined for English-language learners

Examples of eddy in a Sentence

The wind gusted and eddied around us.
The waves swirled and eddied against the pier.

Recent Examples of eddy from the Web

Around the ceiling light, a swarm of flies eddied, droning monotonously.

— ben taub, The New Yorker, "The Boarder," 30 Apr. 2018
For sixteen months, the Boeing 777 wing flap sailed the Indian Ocean Gyre, meandering and eddying, speeding up and slowing unpredictably, before making landfall on Réunion Island off the east coast of Africa in July.

— bucky mcmahon, Esquire, "If Anyone Finds MH370, It Will Be the Men on This Ship," 14 Sep. 2015