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whirling dervish

American  

noun

Islam.
  1. a member of a Turkish order of dervishes, or Sufis, whose ritual consists in part of a highly stylized whirling dance.


Example Sentences

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In “Like This,” from the Glass/Wilson virtual reality “Monsters of Grace” originally created in 1998 at UCLA, the 12th century whirling dervish Turkish poet Rumi exalts the wonder of dying of love.

From Los Angeles Times May 21, 2026

Skacel, the whirling dervish, in his pomp, skipping past defenders and rifling shots past goalkeepers, the little wonder tearing it up.

From BBC May 4, 2026

“We’ve been here for less than three years and that’s been a whirling dervish of activity,” Boehly said in March.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 11, 2025

During Ultimate, I felt like I was chasing a whirling dervish around the field.

From Seattle Times Jul. 29, 2023

She runs at him and he melts before this whirling dervish with a damaged child in her arms and a healthy one stirring inside.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

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