whirling dervish

American

noun

Islam.

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

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.

“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

It’s a tough job, but Rebecca, an ebullient, wisecracking, fist-bumping whirling dervish, is more than up to the task and Sherman plays the offbeat role to the hilt.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 25, 2023

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

From Seattle Times • Jul. 29, 2023

The whirling dervish that is Kyogo has been the difference of late.

From BBC • Apr. 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023