as in whistles
to move very quickly with the sound of quickly flowing air or water
Cars whooshed along the highway. Water whooshed down the pipe.
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Recent Examples of whooshes
Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026
The camera handled by cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed, working with Guadagnino for the first time, whooshes around his subjects to indicate the shakiness of their frames of mind.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025
The fresh, salty aroma of the Atlantic whooshes through the car windows.
—Caitlin Gunther, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2022
Verb
Cunningham’s Fisher-Price pianos and decrepit drums are unmistakable, as is Ciani’s Buchla, which whooshes and rattles like a steam engine barreling down the tracks.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026
The camera handled by cinematographer Malik Hassan Sayeed, working with Guadagnino for the first time, whooshes around his subjects to indicate the shakiness of their frames of mind.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 29 Aug. 2025
The fresh, salty aroma of the Atlantic whooshes through the car windows.
—Caitlin Gunther, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whooshes
Verb
-
Every point results in cheers and car horns– and on the eve of their past three wins, the city buzzes with a passion that’s simply irresistible, even for the bandwagon fans.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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The machine quietly buzzes and whizzes next to baristas who pull espresso shots.—
Jenna Thompson
June 10,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
Noun
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While other animals such as rats and mice are also known to have laryngeal whistles, the study says that horses are believed to be the only animals known to combine the whistle with vocal fold vibrations to create a single, dual sound call.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
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Mrtka was actively involved between the whistles and after the whistle, using his size to clear the net and get under opponents’ skin.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The film wheezes through its less-than-80-minute running time, and no one seems all that sad to move on.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Written by David Koepp, Spielberg’s most frequent collaborator, from a story conceived by Spielberg, Disclosure Day zips two stories together like strands of DNA.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
9 June 2026
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The video may have been aimed at younger men, but Charlotte’s unofficial uniform of polos, khakis and quarter-zips isn’t exactly exclusive to millennials and Gen Z.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The machine whirs to life, the smell of hot plastic slowly seeping into the air.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
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This vast bundle of life and existence whirrs continually, creating the comforting harmonic tone that defines this place.—
Stephen Trimble,
Denver Post,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whooshes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whooshes. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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