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dervish

American

[dur-vish] / ˈdɜr vɪʃ /

noun

a member of any of various Muslim ascetic orders, as the Sufis, some of which carry on ecstatic observances, such as energetic dancing and whirling or vociferous chanting or shouting.

dervish British

/ ˈdɜːvɪʃ /

noun

a member of any of various Muslim orders of ascetics, some of which ( whirling dervishes ) are noted for a frenzied, ecstatic, whirling dance

"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

Other Word Forms

dervish-like adjective

Etymology

Origin of dervish

1575–85; < Turkish < Persian darvīsh poor man, beggar

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.

“We’ve been here for less than three years and that’s been a whirling dervish of activity,” Boehly said in March.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 11, 2025

His Sale team-mate Ben Curry, winning his 11th cap, was a dervish, winning turnovers and collisions alike.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2025

Nothing embarrasses Bella Baxter, the toddler-brained dervish of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2024

She's got this interesting mixture, but she's basically a whirling dervish of a human being.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2023

My legs compelled me to dance and whirl along with the dervish, who seemed fully embraced by the moment.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

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