eddy
noun
a current at variance with the main current in a stream of liquid or gas, especially one having a rotary or whirling motion.
eddy
1 American
[ed-ee]
/ ˈɛd i /
noun
-
eddies
plural
-
a current at variance with the main current in a stream of liquid or gas, especially one having a rotary or whirling motion.
-
a small whirlpool.
-
any similar current, as of air, dust, or fog.
-
a current or trend, as of opinion or events, running counter to the main current.
verb (used with or without object)
-
eddies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
eddied,
past participle, past
-
eddying
present participle
eddy
1
British
/ ˈɛdɪ /
noun
-
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
-
a deviation from or disturbance in the main trend of thought, life, etc, esp one that is relatively unimportant
verb
Eddy
2
British
/ ˈɛdɪ /
noun
eddy
Scientific
/ ĕd′ē /
-
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.
-
See also vortex
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
eddysimple
-
eddiessimple
-
have eddiedperfect
-
has eddiedperfect
-
am eddyingprogressive
-
are eddyingprogressive
-
is eddyingprogressive
-
have been eddyingperfect progressive
-
has been eddyingperfect progressive
Past
-
eddiedsimple
-
had eddiedperfect
-
was eddyingprogressive
-
were eddyingprogressive
-
had been eddyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eddy
1425–75; late Middle English; Old English ed- turning + ēa water; akin to Old Norse itha
Explanation
An eddy is a whirlpool — what you stare at as a kid when the water is draining out of the bathtub. Pronounced exactly like the name, “Eddie,” this word means to swirl in a direction opposite of the current. Any substance like water, fog, smoke, or air can create an eddy, but it is most commonly seen as a term related to water. Books from the "flapper" era of the 1920s often include a description of a nightclub with "an eddy of cigarette smoke above a woman’s head."
Vocabulary lists containing eddy
List 4
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Life Is So Good
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
At a more prosaic level, software engineers and other tech workers who, until recently, seemed to have found an eddy of security in an uncertain economy, now fret that AI will take their jobs, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
In one part of the conveyor system, a vibrating panel called an eddy current creates a sort of reverse magnet that repels nonferrous materials like aluminum beverage cans into their own collection area.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
While that was soon to change, it meant that for books especially, 1996 was an eddy of calm before the meteor storm arrived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2025
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 way the current worked here, once something floated into an eddy it had to be pushed out again.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Eddy says the current cost-of-living crunch feels like “death by a thousand cuts” to consumers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Eddy mean flow feedbacks strengthened and prolonged the resulting circulation pattern.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
There’s a semi-out culture in which Jordan and Eddy are rehearsing for a performance of John Herbert’s 1967 gay prison play, “Fortune and Men’s Eyes.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Chief Executive Bob Eddy said the company’s value proposition continues to resonate with members in its clubs and at its gas stations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
This kid from my school named Eddy Strap and his parents delicately ate some of the mini-quiches that were plated perfectly next to the mint juice.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
It happens through a combination of eddies, mixing, rotation and friction close to land.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Powerful currents twist and churn, creating swirling eddies that split into smaller and smaller vortices until their energy eventually fades away.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
The sources of our malaise are deeper than the shallow eddies of fashion and entertainment in “Blank Space.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
They found that as the Weddell Sea current flowed around Maud Rise, the turbulent eddies moved salt onto the top of the sea mount.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2024
They mixed with the water and swirled at the bottom of the tub like little green eddies before being rushed down the drain.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
“You felt you were escaping the city when you went to 10th Avenue,” he said, retracing his steps as tourists eddied around him.
From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2016
All around, the floor had grown treacherous from the slippery fallen gold, which eddied into corners, like piles of leaves.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 21, 2015
A thousand conflicting feelings eddied in his head.
From New York Times ● May 21, 2012
It overflowed into the streets of downtown Philadelphia and eddied through hotel lobbies, was dammed up in frantically clogged elevators and stairways.
From Time Magazine Archive
I carefully marked where the churning waters eddied into a pool.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Its ambiguities and enigmas add up to not more eddying confusions but to a stark reminder that the only reasonable response to grief is “life life life.”
From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 2022
The crowds mostly kept a respectful distance but in sight of the gate, eddying like pilgrims gathered around a shrine, only breaking their vigil to watch a plane arc slowly by.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2021
In 2013 she rush-released single Neurotic Society, a mix of eddying electro and double-time stream of consciousness.
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2018
But mostly, we lollygagged in our treehouse, playing cards, reading novels and watching the waters eddying past us on the way to their dizzying plunge.
From New York Times ● Oct. 23, 2015
But eddying blasts swirled round them from every side, and the snow flowed down in ever denser clouds.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
