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
Abigail Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023
After a whirlwind romance, the couple married and began their journey to become parents.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
Morgan doesn’t offer a whirlwind romance but a depiction of a comforting friendship that had only started to blossom and was exacerbated by public perception and familial obligation.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
But the exact nature of their whirlwind romance, which began just a few weeks before that fateful night, remains open to interpretation.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
During the trip, Diana grows close to Mohamed’s son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla), embarking on a whirlwind romance with the 42-year-old film producer.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
At the heart of this pop-culture whirlwind is the vitriol against Sandoval, who spent months cheating on Ariana with their friend and fellow cast member Rachel Leviss, formerly known as Raquel.
—Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2023
Israel-Gaza war Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his whirlwind tour of the Middle East in hopes of deterring a widening conflict.
—Abigail Hauslohner, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
It's been a whirlwind year for the young South African star and she's just getting started.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
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
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Noun
Bullard’s third book is a whirlwind tour through their glamorous abodes as well as his own dazzling retreats — a sprawling Hollywood Hills home that once belonged to Dennis Hopper, a mid–century masterpiece in Palm Springs and a modernist aerie on the Baja peninsula overlooking the Sea of Cortez.
—Abigail Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2023
After a whirlwind romance, the couple married and began their journey to become parents.
—Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
Morgan doesn’t offer a whirlwind romance but a depiction of a comforting friendship that had only started to blossom and was exacerbated by public perception and familial obligation.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023
But the exact nature of their whirlwind romance, which began just a few weeks before that fateful night, remains open to interpretation.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
During the trip, Diana grows close to Mohamed’s son Dodi (Khalid Abdalla), embarking on a whirlwind romance with the 42-year-old film producer.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
At the heart of this pop-culture whirlwind is the vitriol against Sandoval, who spent months cheating on Ariana with their friend and fellow cast member Rachel Leviss, formerly known as Raquel.
—Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2023
Israel-Gaza war Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues his whirlwind tour of the Middle East in hopes of deterring a widening conflict.
—Abigail Hauslohner, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
It's been a whirlwind year for the young South African star and she's just getting started.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 8 Nov. 2023
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
See More
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.
Word History
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Cite this Entry
“Whirlwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whirlwind. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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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
More from Merriam-Webster on whirlwind
Nglish: Translation of whirlwind for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about whirlwind
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