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eddy

1 American  
[ed-ee] / ˈɛd i /

noun

plural

eddies

  1. a current at variance with the main current in a stream of liquid or gas, especially one having a rotary or whirling motion.

  2. a small whirlpool.

  3. any similar current, as of air, dust, or fog.

  4. a current or trend, as of opinion or events, running counter to the main current.

verb (used with or without object)

eddied, eddying

  1. to move or whirl in eddies.

Eddy 2 American  
[ed-ee] / ˈɛd i /

noun

  1. Mary (Morse) Baker Mrs. GloverMrs. Patterson, 1821–1910, U.S. founder of the Christian Science Church.

  2. Also Eddie. a male given name, form of Edgar or Edward.

eddy 1 British  
/ ˈɛdɪ /

noun

  1. a movement in a stream of air, water, or other fluid in which the current doubles back on itself causing a miniature whirlwind or whirlpool

  2. a deviation from or disturbance in the main trend of thought, life, etc, esp one that is relatively unimportant

"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

verb

  1. to move or cause to move against the main current

"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
Eddy 2 British  
/ ˈɛdɪ /

noun

  1. Mary Baker. 1821–1910, US religious leader; founder of the Christian Science movement (1866)

"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
eddy Scientific  
/ ĕd′ē /

  1. A current, as of water or air, moving in a direction that is different from that of the main current. Eddies generally involve circular motion; unstable patterns of eddies are often called turbulence.

  2. See also vortex

Other Word Forms

  • uneddied adjective
  • uneddying adjective

Etymology

Origin of eddy

1425–75; late Middle English; Old English ed- turning + ēa water; akin to Old Norse itha

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.

Navigating the galleries, which spill into each other, is akin to being dizzyingly spun from eddy to eddy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 29, 2025

The process, Hauptman said, has made him feel like “an eddy in a river.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2025

Temperature data from satellites and buoys revealed a large southbound eddy moving through the region, coupled with 4 days of strong easterly winds, fueled strong upwelling.

From Science Magazine • Apr. 15, 2024

The group of scientists wondered if it was possible to make, and hold, medium-size eddies -- neither one big eddy, nor smaller and smaller ones.

From Science Daily • Mar. 20, 2024

The still eddy waters next to the banks had frozen, but out in the middle, where the current was swift, the water was running, leaving a trough in the ice pack.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

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.