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Synonyms

whirlpool

American  
[hwurl-pool, wurl-] / ˈʰwɜrlˌpul, ˈwɜrl- /

noun

  1. water in swift, circular motion, as that produced by the meeting of opposing currents, often causing a downward spiraling action.

  2. whirlpool bath.

  3. Heraldry. gurge.

whirlpool British  
/ ˈwɜːlˌpuːl /

noun

  1. a powerful circular current or vortex of water, usually produced by conflicting tidal currents or by eddying at the foot of a waterfall

  2. something resembling a whirlpool in motion or the power to attract into its vortex

  3. short for whirlpool bath

"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
whirlpool Scientific  
/ wûrl′po̅o̅l′ /

  1. A rapidly rotating current of water or other liquid that sucks everything near it toward its center. The meeting of two tides can create a whirlpool.

Etymology

Origin of whirlpool

1520–30; whirl + pool 1; compare late Old English hwyrfepōl

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.

Travelers in select suites can enjoy private whirlpool spas and outdoor showers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

Below the cliff where Arisu and this gentleman converse lies a vast body of churning water with a foreboding whirlpool at its heart.

From Salon • Sep. 29, 2025

The Corryvreckan whirlpool, between the islands of Jura and Scarba in the Inner Hebrides, is one of the largest whirlpools in the world and considered highly dangerous.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2025

Charybdis, a mythical female sea monster, is often depicted as a bottomless sucking whirlpool, but there’s power in accepting your hunger, whether it’s for food or love or armies crossing the sea in boats.

From Slate • Oct. 28, 2024

Everything that had been on the docks was now part of a wild whirlpool.

From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.