whoosh

play

noun \ ˈhwüsh , ˈwüsh , ˈ(h)wu̇sh \

Definition of whoosh

:a swift or explosive rush; also :the sound created by such a rush —often used interjectionally

See whoosh defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of whoosh from the Web

A breathy whoosh every now and then, and frequent conversations and ad libs were further proof that Gaga was singing every freakin' note.

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "Lady Gaga thrills a packed Quicken Loans Arena (concert review)," 24 Aug. 2017
Plus, nothing kills the vibe on a beautiful, lazy summer afternoon—birds a-chirping, ice cream truck a-jingling, bottles a-clinking—quite like the whoosh of canned whipped cream.

— carey polis, Bon Appetit, "Homemade Whipped Cream + Berries = Summer's Best (and Easiest) Dessert," 8 Aug. 2017
A mirrored wall whooshes open Star Trek-style to reveal the elevators to the executive suites occupying the upper floors.

— edward robinson, Bloomberg.com, "Can John Cryan Save Deutsche Bank From Itself?," 25 July 2017
Lots of neat chirps and whooshes can be heard from the big snail under the hood, and the trick three-outlet exhaust keeps droning and booming sounds to a minimum, even though short final gearing has the engine turning 3500 rpm at 75 mph in top gear.

— mike sutton, Car and Driver, "2017 Honda Civic Type R," 8 July 2017
That means everything from recent supercars to 100-year-old competition machines blats, whizzes, whooshes, and squeals its way to the top of the hill to the delight of car enthusiasts.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill-Climb in Photos!," 5 July 2017
Next, the fore sail unfurled with a quick whoosh of rope.

— ian duncan, baltimoresun.com, "Guest crew get to experience life of 19th century sailor aboard Pride of Baltimore," 1 July 2017
It was synced to music that also seemed monochrome at first — hisses, whooshes, buzzes, clicks — but became a world of its own.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "Sónar 2017: 15 of the Best Sets From the Barcelona Music Festival," 18 June 2017
On a bright June morning, dozens of honeybees gently hovered around their gable-roofed hives, the buzzing a low drone often drowned out by the whoosh of passing cars.

— genevieve bookwalter, chicagotribune.com, "Evanston Ecology Center welcomes 40,000 honeybees," 12 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of whoosh

imitative

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1856

See Words from the same year

whoosh

verb

Definition of whoosh

intransitive verb

:to rush past or move explosively

cars whooshing along the expressway

transitive verb

:to move (a person or thing) with or as if with a whoosh

See whoosh defined for English-language learners

Examples of whoosh in a Sentence

Cars whooshed along the highway.
Water whooshed down the pipe.

Recent Examples of whoosh from the Web

Game blogs (as well as roundups like this one) will lag the signal flares whooshing from social hubs like Twitter and Facebook, or forums like Reddit and NeoGAF as sales news breaks.

— matt peckham, Time, "Super NES Classic Preorders Are Live and This Is Where You Can Find One," 22 Aug. 2017
Tours take visitors 530 feet down through the canyon wall to a viewing point where 90,000 gallons of water whoosh past every second, providing electricity for three states.

— ed hewitt, USA TODAY, "10 modern engineering marvels every traveler should see," 6 July 2017
The emergency room sliding glass doors whooshed open as my husband ventured out to the darkened streets of Brooklyn.

— by denise snodell, kansascity, "Muddling through a cell phone fiasco," 28 June 2017
Infants like to be tightly packed, carried around, surrounded by whooshing sounds.

— michael alison chandler, Washington Post, "This pediatrician has been teaching parents to soothe fussy babies for years. Now he’s designed a crib that can do it.," 14 June 2017
So make sure to simulate flying a plane in your seat, making loud whooshing noises with your mouth.

— eli grober, The New Yorker, "Sitting in the Emergency-Exit Row: What You Need to Know," 13 May 2017
Back in the fourth century B.C., for example, Aristotle theorized that surface shakes were caused by winds whooshing through underground spaces.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Earthquakes," 10 Apr. 2017
The graphics whooshed at you like a Blue Angels flyover.

— james poniewozik, New York Times, "Roger Ailes Fused TV With Politics, Changing Both," 21 July 2016

First Known Use of whoosh

1909

WHOOSH Defined for English Language Learners

whoosh

play

noun

Definition of whoosh for English Language Learners

: the sound made by something that is moving quickly
: a small amount of gas, liquid, etc., that comes from a place quickly

whoosh

verb

Definition of whoosh for English Language Learners

: to move very quickly with the sound of quickly flowing air or water

WHOOSH Defined for Kids

whoosh

play

verb \ ˈhwüsh , ˈwüsh , ˈhwu̇sh , ˈwu̇sh \

Definition of whoosh for Students

whooshed; whooshing

:to pass or move along with a sound like that of something moving quickly

whoosh

noun

Definition of whoosh for Students

plural whooshes

:the sound created by something moving quickly

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whoosh

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whoosh

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whoosh

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