as in vortex
water moving rapidly in a circle with a hollow in the center
our rubber raft got caught in a maelstrom in a particularly rough stretch of white water
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Recent Examples of maelstrom
The political maelstrom caught the attention of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who capitalized on the drama over the cellphone legislation to make a pitch for his independent campaign to be Michigan's next governor.
—
Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If Edwards is a maelstrom, Hastings is a sea of calm.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The termination of Monarez and the resignation of other senior officials has sparked a maelstrom of controversy and a protest of hundreds of people outside the CDC’s Atlanta campus Thursday.
—The Hill, 29 Aug. 2025
India has found itself at the center of the geopolitical maelstrom, and is now on the precipice of its own economic conundrum.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maelstrom
Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
If Edwards is a maelstrom, Hastings is a sea of calm.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The termination of Monarez and the resignation of other senior officials has sparked a maelstrom of controversy and a protest of hundreds of people outside the CDC’s Atlanta campus Thursday.
—The Hill, 29 Aug. 2025
India has found itself at the center of the geopolitical maelstrom, and is now on the precipice of its own economic conundrum.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for maelstrom
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maelstrom
vortex
Noun
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This leads to her descent into a vicious vortex narrated with Greek tragedy tropes.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
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In 1921 Japanese meteorologist Sakuhei Fujiwhara theorized that two vortices spinning through fluid (which is exactly what tropical cyclones are) could come close enough to each other to begin orbiting a common central point.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Maelstrom.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maelstrom. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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