dust devil

American  

[duhst dev-uhl] / ˈdʌst ˌdɛv əl /

noun

Meteorology.

1. a well-developed dust whirl with a diameter of about 10–100 feet (3–30 meters), rotating either clockwise or counterclockwise, common in dry regions on hot, calm afternoons and made visible by the dust, debris, and sand it picks up from the ground: dust devils on average are about 660 feet (200 meters) tall, but some have exceeded a height of 3,280 feet (1 kilometer).

   We noticed the base of the dust devil following a direct path along the ground, but its uppermost portion was meandering wildly.

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dust devil British  

noun

1. a strong miniature whirlwind that whips up dust, litter, leaves, etc into the air

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Etymology

Origin of dust devil

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

He attended test pilot school at Edwards Air Force Base, the site of many daring Armstrong flights and space shuttle landings, then served with the Navy’s Dust Devil test pilot squadron in China Lake, Calif.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

"This is a machine equivalent to a Dust Devil vacuum cleaner that sucks and blows ice water rather than air through a blood pressure cuff," Williams said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2014

Stars Richard Basehart and Robert Walker Jr. turn a sidewalk prank into tragedy in "Dust Devil on a Quiet Street."

From Time Magazine Archive

Jack Frost bites mildly, preferring to do his serious work by dulling the nerves; but the Dust Devil is a cruel tormentor from first to last.

From Khartoum Campaign, 1898 or the Re-Conquest of the Soudan by Burleigh, Bennet

The Dust Devil had nothing to do with it.

From Khartoum Campaign, 1898 or the Re-Conquest of the Soudan by Burleigh, Bennet

Related Words

• sandstorm