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maelstrom

American  
[meyl-struhm] / ˈmeɪl strəm /

noun

  1. a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.

  2. a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs.

    the maelstrom of early morning traffic.
    Synonyms:
    bedlam, pandemonium, tumult

  3. (initial capital letter) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.

maelstrom 1 British  
/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

  1. a large powerful whirlpool

  2. any turbulent confusion

"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
Maelstrom 2 British  
/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

  1. a strong tidal current in a restricted channel in the Lofoten Islands off the NW coast of Norway

"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 maelstrom

1550–60 maelstrom for def. 3; < early Dutch maelstroom, now spelling maalstroom, representing mal ( en ) to grind + stroom stream. See meal 2, stream

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.

What I have noticed, however, is the lack of their equivalents in our present media maelstrom.

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026

By morning, the clouds parted, and we found we survived the meteorological maelstrom relatively intact.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

In the maelstrom, Root stood tall to notch one of the few milestones missing from a glittering career.

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

At the same time, Salesforce is caught up in the maelstrom of artificial intelligence, and how it could disrupt its business.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

He might put out his hand into the maelstrom and become a part of it.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

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.