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as in helicopter
a vehicle for traveling through the air that obtains its lift from rotors which spin horizontally from the sky a police whirlybird was able to track the fleeing carjacker

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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 whirlybird The sleek, dark-green whirlybird, with its luxe leather interior, sat in front of Airbus’s static display at the National Business Aviation Association’s BACE conference in Orlando. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 19 Oct. 2022 The result is a whirlybird that’s quieter than usual, but also potentially safer. Rob Verger and Charlie Wood, Popular Science, 2 Dec. 2020 Mars’ atmosphere is thin, so the extraterrestrial whirlybird needed some special modifications to achieve lift. Hailey Rose McLaughlin, Discover Magazine, 4 Sep. 2019 At its factory in Cambodia, Outland Denim uses a method of heat extraction involving breezeways and a roof ventilation device known as a whirlybird. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirlybird
Noun
  • Using his abilities from the back of the chopper, Hallorann enters a trance, becoming increasingly distressed until his reality is fractured and the sequence cuts between the helicopter in the sky and a dark realm that Hallorann navigates within his own psyche.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 10 Nov. 2025
  • An officer in a police helicopter overhead following the pursuit told officers the occupants of the Jeep got inside a black Infiniti, with the driver of the Jeep now the passenger.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Varsho sent a chopper to second base.
    Katie Woo, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
  • At the end of the game, Alma climbs onto the evac chopper before everything cuts to black.
    Will Borger, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Whirlybird.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirlybird. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.

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