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spindrift

American  
[spin-drift] / ˈspɪnˌdrɪft /

noun

  1. spray swept by a violent wind along the surface of the sea.


spindrift British  
/ ˈspɪnˌdrɪft /

noun

  1. spray blown up from the surface of the sea

  2. powdery snow blown off a mountain

"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

Etymology

Origin of spindrift

1590–1600; variant of Scots speendrift spoondrift

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:

James Instance, from Falmouth RNLI, said conditions there were getting worse, with high waves and spindrift coming through.

From BBC Feb. 18, 2022

While the rest of the group heads out for a swim, I excuse myself, hop off the walkway to explore the unpaved crevices, and discover a little secluded cove frothed in spindrift.

From Scientific American Feb. 12, 2018

The battle to prevent healthy scepticism from metastasising into cancerous solipsism has typified Western philosophy since Thales of Miletus theorised that all things were but cosmic spindrift conjured momentarily from a great and watery flux.

From BBC Dec. 6, 2013

A winning America didn’t cut through this vision of brown spindrift and black tides.

From New York Times Jul. 12, 2010

“The blowing spindrift felt like a sandblaster or something. I could only go out for fifteen minutes at a time before I became too cold and had to return to the tent.”

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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