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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.
dust devil British  

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dust devil

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sound returns for another couple of seconds as the trailing wall of the dust devil spins over the rover again.

From Washington Post • Dec. 13, 2022

There is a tiny chance that a dust devil might blow off the dust covering InSight’s solar panels and prolong the mission’s life.

From Scientific American • Oct. 28, 2022

A dust devil has been spotted in a field following a wildfire in County Durham.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2022

The InSight team anticipated this much dust buildup, but hoped a gust wind of wind or dust devil might clean off the solar panels.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2022

A dust devil twirled eastward from the sage across the flat deserted fields, catching tumbleweeds, bouncing them along and letting them go, weaving among the crumbled houses and rusty car hulks—a truly desolate scene.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.