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
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Recent Examples of whirlpool
Amenities and Entertainment The panoramic pool area on Deck 10 features the main pool and two whirlpools; the Ritz-Carlton Spa has 11 treatment rooms offering massages and other treatments, with products from ESPA, 111SKIN, and Pisterzi.
—
Amanda Eyre Ward, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
The Legionella bacteria, which got its name after the first cases were identified at a Philadelphia hotel that hosted an American Legion convention in 1976, was discovered in the Marriott’s decorative fountain in the lobby, the men’s and women’s locker rooms, swimming pool and spa whirlpool.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Up on the Sky Lounge, guests will find a bar, whirlpool, sunbeds, sauna, and steam shower, in addition to a comfy lounge area with small tables.
—Kathleen Turner, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
These turbulent flows, resembling whirlpools, are notoriously complex and have long posed significant challenges for accurate modeling.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whirlpool
Amanda Eyre Ward, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
The Legionella bacteria, which got its name after the first cases were identified at a Philadelphia hotel that hosted an American Legion convention in 1976, was discovered in the Marriott’s decorative fountain in the lobby, the men’s and women’s locker rooms, swimming pool and spa whirlpool.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Up on the Sky Lounge, guests will find a bar, whirlpool, sunbeds, sauna, and steam shower, in addition to a comfy lounge area with small tables.
—Kathleen Turner, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
These turbulent flows, resembling whirlpools, are notoriously complex and have long posed significant challenges for accurate modeling.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whirlpool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirlpool
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
“Whirlpool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirlpool. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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