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• maelstrom
  maelstrom

  noun

  a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.
• Maelstrom
  Maelstrom

  noun

  a strong tidal current in a restricted channel in the Lofoten Islands off the NW coast of Norway

maelstrom

American  

[mayl-struhm] / ˈmeɪl strəm /

noun

1. a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.

2. a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs.

   the maelstrom of early morning traffic.

   Synonyms:

   bedlam, pandemonium, tumult

3. (initial capital letter) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.

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maelstrom ¹ British  

/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

1. a large powerful whirlpool

2. any turbulent confusion

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Maelstrom ² British  

/ ˈmeɪlstrəʊm /

noun

1. a strong tidal current in a restricted channel in the Lofoten Islands off the NW coast of Norway

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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

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maelstrom Maelstrom

At the center of the maelstrom is Coltrane — who describes himself as “cast-iron black, six foot three and 235 pounds of mostly muscle.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

"Red card for Infantino" writes the Daily Mirror, spotlighting the man at the centre of the maelstrom: Fifa boss Gianni Infantino.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

SEATTLE—For all of the controversy that had engulfed Team USA in the 24 hours leading up to its match against Belgium, the game itself was always going to represent something more than a political maelstrom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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

On March 10, AT 3:50 p.m., justice was served in a maelstrom of emotion, grief, and a nagging uncertainty that had plagued these people since it all began.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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

I had gone down into the Maelstrom with the Ancient Mariner,—I was a Manuscript Found in a Bottle!

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 20, No. 119, September, 1867 by Various

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Related Words

• chaos
• turbulence
• turmoil

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