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.

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dust devil British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of dust devil

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dust devil

Footage captured on Sunday in Greenwich Park, south-east London, showed a small whirlwind, or dust devil, swirling around people.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Of the 84 minutes collected in its first year, there’s “only one dust devil recording,” she wrote in an email from France.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 13, 2022

What it needs is a direct hit by a dust devil, because such vortices are capable of cleaning solar panels.

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

But it is easy to ward off the dust devil, it is easy to make it change its path and skirt around you.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Related Words

• sandstorm