maelstrom
noun
a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.
maelstrom
American
[meyl-struhm]
/ ˈmeɪl strəm /
noun
-
a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.
-
a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs.
the maelstrom of early morning traffic.
- Synonyms:
- bedlam, pandemonium, tumult
-
(initial capital letter) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.
maelstrom
1
British
/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /
noun
-
a large powerful whirlpool
-
any turbulent confusion
Maelstrom
2
British
/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /
noun
Etymology
Origin of maelstrom
1550–60 maelstrom for def. 3; < early Dutch maelstroom, now spelling maalstroom, representing mal ( en ) to grind + stroom stream. See meal 2, stream
Explanation
A maelstrom is a powerful whirlpool. A luckless ship might go down in one, and conflicting ocean currents might cause one. These days, you're more likely to hear maelstrom used metaphorically to describe disasters where many competing forces are at play. When an economy or a government fails, the situation is often described as a maelstrom. Following some precipitous event, all the forces at play — banks, governments, consumers — are trying as hard as they can to protect themselves. This creates a maelstrom — a perfect storm, so to speak — that drags any potential for rescue down with it. Maelstrom comes from an obsolete Dutch phrase meaning "whirling stream."
Vocabulary lists containing maelstrom
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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.
See Examples For:
In the maelstrom, he drew on an experience from three years earlier.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
In a maelstrom, one might think such niggling questions of jurisdiction and their attendant turf wars would be set aside.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
At the center of that maelstrom are the 26 men who will be wearing the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Anthony and Grietje left the maelstrom of 17th-century Amsterdam to start over in the New World.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
But hidden underneath the tranquil surface was a maelstrom of fear and suspicion.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
DoorDasher Maelstrom Pullman relies heavily on tips to make delivery driving worth the effort.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 1, 2022
“I’ll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition’s flames before I give him up.’
From Washington Times ● Feb. 6, 2018
"Nixon eschewed policy specifics, relying instead on what one reporter called 'oratory so evenhanded as to be meaningless,'" Michael Cohen writes in "American Maelstrom," his excellent history of the 1968 campaign.
From US News ● Jul. 22, 2016
Steven S DeKnight will direct Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, which will follow on from Guillermo del Toro's original.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2016
“Indeed, Lady Maelstrom, I infinitely prefer the blonde to the brunette.”
From Japhet in Search of a Father by Frederick Marryat
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.
