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
Its amenities include a restaurant and lounge with indoor and patio seating, a fitness center, indoor pool and whirlpool, business center, meeting spaces, and 354 parking spaces.
—
Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Skip pricey upgrades like custom built-ins, whirlpool tubs, and home theaters that don’t add lasting value.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 11 Jan. 2026
The iceberg sat in the shallow water of the Weddell Sea in the Southern Ocean for more than 30 years before breaking free in 2020 and into an ocean whirlpool for several months.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Quickly drop eggs into center of whirlpool, and continue stirring to keep whites around yolks.
—Amanda Stanfield, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whirlpool
Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
Skip pricey upgrades like custom built-ins, whirlpool tubs, and home theaters that don’t add lasting value.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 11 Jan. 2026
The iceberg sat in the shallow water of the Weddell Sea in the Southern Ocean for more than 30 years before breaking free in 2020 and into an ocean whirlpool for several months.
—Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Quickly drop eggs into center of whirlpool, and continue stirring to keep whites around yolks.
—Amanda Stanfield, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whirlpool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirlpool
vortex
Noun
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Electric utilities in the South had spent billions weatherizing the grid and power plants after the 2014 polar vortex, whose record cold weather exposed vulnerabilities.—
Kristi Swartz,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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When unstable, the polar vortex can cause the jet stream — a band of strong wind that generally travels from west to east and acts as a boundary between cold, polar air and warmer air farther south — to buckle, sending bitterly cold air from the Arctic southward into North America.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whirlpool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirlpool. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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