Whirlwind WHIRLWIND, n. [whirl and wind.] A violent wind moving in a circle, or rather in a spiral form, as if moving round an axis; this axis or the perpendicular column moving horizontally, raising and whirling dust, leaves and the like.

whirlwind n 1: a more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth

whirlwind I. noun Date: 14th century 1. a small rotating windstorm of limited extent 2. a. a confused rush ; whirl <a whirlwind of meetings> b. a violent or destructive force or agency II. adjective Date: 1614 resembling a whirlwind especially in speed or force <a whirlwind campaign> <a whirlwind romance>

whirlwind
n.
1 a mass or column of air whirling rapidly round and round in a cylindrical or funnel shape over land or water.
2 a confused tumultuous process.
3 (attrib.) very rapid (a whirlwind romance).
Phrases and idioms:
reap the whirlwind suffer worse results of a bad action.

whirlwind (whirlwinds) 1. A whirlwind is a tall column of air which spins round and round very fast and moves across the land or sea. N-COUNT 2. You can describe a situation in which a lot of things happen very quickly and are very difficult for someone to control as a whirlwind. I had been running around southern England in a whirlwind of activity... N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp, usu N of n 3. A whirlwind event or action happens or is done much more quickly than normal. He got married after a whirlwind romance. ... a whirlwind tour of France. ADJ: ADJ n

whirlwind ˈwə:lwɪnd n. 1 a mass or column of air whirling rapidly round and round in a cylindrical or funnel shape over land or water. 2 a confused tumultuous process. 3 (attrib.) very rapid (a whirlwind romance). øreap the whirlwind suffer worse results of a bad action.

Whirlwind \Whirl"wind`\, n. [Cf. Icel. hvirfilvindr, Sw. hvirfvelvind, Dan. hvirvelvind, G. wirbelwind. See Whirl, and Wind, n.] 1. A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the tornado, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. It usually has a rapid progressive motion. The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods. And drowns the villages. --Bryant. Note: Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones. 2. Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward. ``The whirlwind of hounds and hunters.'' --Macaulay.

WHIRLWIND hwurl'-wind (cuphah (Pr 1:27; 10:25; Isa 5:28; 17:13; 66:15; Ho 8:7; Am 1:14; Nab 1:3), ca`ar (Hab 3:14; Zec 7:14; Ho 13:3; Ps 58:9; Da 11:40), ce`arah (2Ki 2:1; Job 38:1; 40:6; Isa 40:24; 41:16; Zec 9:14)): When two currents from opposite directions meet, a circular motion results called a whirlwind. On the sea this takes up small particles of water from the sea and condenses some of the moisture in the clouds above, forming a great funnel-shaped column. They are quite common off the coast of Syria. Considerable damage might be done to a small ship overtaken by them. In the desert sand is taken up in the same way, causing terrible sandstorms which are greatly dreaded by caravans. Most of the references in the Bible do not necessarily imply a circular motion, and the word "tempest" might be used in translation. Storms usually come from the Southwest. "Out of the .... south cometh the storm" (Job 37:9); yet in Ezekiel's vision he saw a whirlwind coming out of the north (Eze 1:4). Elijah "went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2Ki 2:11). The whirlwind indicates the power and might of Yahweh: "Yahweh hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm" (Na 1:3); He "answered Job out of the whirlwind" (Job 38:1). Most of the Scriptural uses are figurative; of destruction: "He will take them away with a whirlwind" (Ps 58:9; Pr 1:27; 10:25; Ho 13:3; Da 11:40; Am 1:14; Hab 3:14; Zec 7:14); of quickness: "wheels as a whirlwind" (Isa 5:28; 66:15; Jer 4:13); of the anger of God: "A whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury" (Jer 23:19 the King James Version); of punishment to the wicked: "A continuing whirlwind .... shall fall .... on the wicked" (Jer 30:23 the King James Version). Alfred H. Joy

whirlwind n. Cyclone.

whirlwind ˈwə:lwɪnd n. 1 waterspout, dust devil, cyclone, typhoon, anticyclone, hurricane, extra-tropical cyclone, tropical cyclone, Nontechnical tornado, Nautical white squall, Australian willy-willy, Colloq US whirly: A whole row of houses was destroyed in the whirlwind. --adj. 2 speedy, quick, swift, sudden, precipitous, lightning, headlong, hasty, rash, impetuous: It was one of those whirlwind romances that last till the wind dies down.

58 Moby Thesaurus words for "whirlwind": Charybdis, ado, baguio, blaze, burst, bustle, convulsion, cyclone, dizzy round, dust devil, eddy, eruption, explosion, fit, flare-up, flurry, furore, fuss, gale, gurge, gust, gyre, hurricane, irruption, maelstrom, outbreak, outburst, paroxysm, pirouette, pother, rainspout, rat race, reel, rotary storm, round, sand column, sandspout, seizure, spasm, spin, storm, surge, swirl, tempest, tornado, turn, twirl, twister, typhoon, upheaval, vortex, waterspout, wheel, whirl, whirlblast, whirlpool, whirly, wind eddy

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