whirlpool
Americannoun
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water in swift, circular motion, as that produced by the meeting of opposing currents, often causing a downward spiraling action.
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Heraldry. gurge.
noun
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a powerful circular current or vortex of water, usually produced by conflicting tidal currents or by eddying at the foot of a waterfall
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something resembling a whirlpool in motion or the power to attract into its vortex
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short for whirlpool bath
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of whirlpool
Explanation
When two water currents meet, they sometimes form a swirling, circular whirlpool. There are some small but very strong whirlpools at the bottom of Niagara Falls. The way water moves in a circle as it drains out of your bathtub is a smaller version of what a whirlpool looks like in a large body of water. Whirlpools can be dangerous for swimmers and small boats, although larger ships aren't at any real risk of being sucked into a whirlpool, even a particularly large and powerful one — which can also be called a maelstrom.
Vocabulary lists containing whirlpool
Magical Mystery List D
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"Milady Standard Cosmetology," Vocabulary from Part 5
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English Language Development Texts, Unit 3
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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.
Last year, Whirlpool slashed its dividend by nearly half.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
On Wednesday, kitchen and laundry stalwart Whirlpool suspended its $90-cents-a-share quarterly dividend, after reporting a difficult quarter thanks to what executives called a recession-level industry decline.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
Century-old Whirlpool WHR -11.91%decrease; red down pointing triangle has paid a dividend through 10 U.S. recessions and every global crisis since the 1950s.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026
Appliance demand has deteriorated significantly, according to Whirlpool, which is now warning that trends look worse now than during some recessionary times of the past.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
Maud Willard of Canton, Ohio, lost her life on the 7th of September, 1901, in navigating the Whirlpool Rapids in Graham's barrel.
From The Niagara River by Hulbert, Archer Butler
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.
