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Synonyms

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.

They can’t recreate every wind puff and ocean eddy, so they divide the world into a 3-D grid and generate myriad variables for each box, from soil temperature to ocean salinity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

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 study builds upon the foundational Euler equation formulated by Leonhard Euler in 1757 to describe the flow of eddy currents.

From Science Daily • Sep. 29, 2023

Significant contributors to algae growth include nutrients flushed into the ocean by rain and winds that create an eddy effect in the channel and cause upwelling, Berman Kowalewski said.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 21, 2023

Kid Sampson, Nately and the others wandered apart in a noiseless eddy of motion and were sucked away into the cloying yellow stillness.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

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.