Synonyms of whirlpool

whirlpool

noun

ˈ(h)wər(-ə)l-ˌpül 

as in vortex

water moving rapidly in a circle with a hollow in the center

in The Odyssey, Ulysses is trapped between the six-headed monster Scylla and Charybdis, a deadly whirlpool that threatens to suck in his ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vortex
• gulf
• maelstrom
• swirl
• eddy
• tourbillion
• whirl

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of whirlpool

Some come out the other side of illness, but most loop through an unpredictable whirlpool, at times within sight of shore, at other moments spinning back out to sea. —Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

Still Waters Resort, Branson Spacious condos with giant whirlpools and stylish furnishings sparkle at this Table Rock Lake resort west of Branson, but the real attraction is fun on the water. —Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 9 May 2026

Two boys tussling over a bladder in a three-foot-high canvas painted by Joseph Wright of Derby in the late 1760s snarl up in a whirlpool of pain, each twisting the other’s right ear. —Julian Bell, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026

There's also seven pools, a swim-up bar, 10 whirlpools and private cabanas on offer. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026