vortex

American  

[vawr-teks] / ˈvɔr tɛks /

noun

vortices, plural vortexes plural

1. a whirling mass of water, especially one in which a force of suction operates, as a whirlpool.

2. a whirling mass of air, especially one in the form of a visible column or spiral, as a tornado.

3. a whirling mass of fire, flame, etc.

4. a state of affairs likened to a whirlpool for violent activity, irresistible force, etc.

5. something regarded as drawing into its powerful current everything that surrounds it.

   the vortex of war.

6. (in Cartesian philosophy) a rapid rotatory movement of cosmic matter about a center, regarded as accounting for the origin or phenomena of bodies or systems of bodies in space.

---

vortex British  

/ ˈvɔːtɛks /

noun

1. a whirling mass or rotary motion in a liquid, gas, flame, etc, such as the spiralling movement of water around a whirlpool

2. any activity, situation, or way of life regarded as irresistibly engulfing

---

vortex Scientific  

/ vôr′tĕks′ /

vortexes plural

1. A circular, spiral, or helical motion in a fluid (such as a gas) or the fluid in such a motion. A vortex often forms around areas of low pressure and attracts the fluid (and the objects moving within it) toward its center. Tornados are examples of vortexes; vortexes that form around flying objects are a source of turbulence and drag.

2. See also eddy

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• vortical
  adjective
• vortically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

noun

• vortices
  plural
• vortexes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of vortex

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin, variant of vertex vertex

Explanation

Think vortex and picture a tornado or whirlpool — swirling around, causing destruction. If you picture a whirlpool spinning and draining like water out of a bathtub, you'll get a pretty good impression of what a vortex looks like. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz found out first-hand the meaning of vortex as she and her house whirled around in the funnel cloud of a tornado. In a figurative sense, vortex can be used to talk about something that seems like it is whirling out of control, all consuming, or chaotic. This may include exam week, your relationships, or your life in general.

Example Sentences

Even knowing what was happening as the campaign went on, I found it difficult not to get sucked into the vortex.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

The rotating vortex draws in large amounts of oxygen, creating a hotter and more efficient flame.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2026

Now it’s, “Hey, you got to reform. You’re going to play Coachella, because you have a song that has 800 million streams,” an insane algorithmic vortex that you cannot control.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

The Criterion Channel can be a vortex as inescapable as any Ferdinand Magellan encountered during his expedition that first circled the globe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

The light was a vortex, thrashing, bellowing, threatening to swallow her whole.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• dust devil
• tornado
• tourbillion
• whirlwind