tourbillion

noun

variants or tourbillon
Definition of tourbillionnext
as in vortex

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tourbillion At six o’clock sits a one-minute flying tourbillon, adding another aesthetic punch. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 11 July 2026 These include the fast-rotating barrel, completing a revolution in five hours instead of the conventional seven and a half, and the variable-inertia tourbillon, which compensates for the effects of gravity on timekeeping precision. — Richard Mille Contributor, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tourbillion
  1. vortex
  2. whirlpool
Noun
  • But others suggested that if the friction was low enough and the inflow rate high enough, a reverse sprinkler would start to turn in the opposite direction of an ordinary sprinkler, thanks to the formation of a vortex inside.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026
  • The quartet might only be better if a time vortex dropped Pele’ and Maradona, in their primes, back onto the pitch.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Definition of vortex
Noun
  • After making it through a passage with a whirlpool on one side and a multi-headed monster named Scylla on the other, Odysseus and his crew land on the island of Thrinacia.
    — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
  • On the other side lies a whirlpool called Charybdis that could swallow the ship whole.
    — Chris Moody, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
Definition of whirlpool

Browse Nearby Words

tour
tourbillion
tourbillions
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Tourbillion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tourbillion. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All