whirlwind

1 of 2

noun

whirl·​wind ˈ(h)wər(-ə)l-ˌwind How to pronounce whirlwind (audio)
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

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
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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whirlwind was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near whirlwind

Cite this Entry

“Whirlwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whirlwind. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

whirlwind

1 of 2 noun
whirl·​wind -ˌwind How to pronounce whirlwind (audio)
: 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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