whisk
Americanverb (used with object)
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whisks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whisked,
past participle, past
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whisking
present participle
-
to move with a rapid, sweeping stroke.
She whisked everything off the table with her arm.
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to sweep (dust, crumbs, etc., or a surface) with a whisk broom, brush, or the like.
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to draw, snatch, carry, etc., lightly and rapidly.
He whisked the money into his pocket.
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to whip (eggs, cream, etc.) to a froth with a whisk or beating instrument.
verb (used without object)
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whisks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whisked,
past participle, past
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whisking
present participle
noun
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whisks
plural
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an act of whisking.
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a rapid, sweeping stroke; light, rapid movement.
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a small bunch of grass, straw, hair, or the like, especially for use in brushing.
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an implement, usually a bunch of wire loops held together in a handle, for beating or whipping eggs, cream, etc.
verb
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(tr; often foll by away or off) to brush, sweep, or wipe off lightly
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(tr) to move, carry, etc, with a light or rapid sweeping motion
the taxi whisked us to the airport
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(intr) to move, go, etc, quickly and nimbly
to whisk downstairs for a drink
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(tr) to whip (eggs, cream, etc) to a froth
noun
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the act of whisking
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a light rapid sweeping movement or stroke
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a utensil, often incorporating a coil of wires, for whipping eggs, etc
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a small brush or broom
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a small bunch or bundle, as of grass, straw, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whisksimple
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whiskssimple
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have whiskedperfect
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has whiskedperfect
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am whiskingprogressive
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are whiskingprogressive
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is whiskingprogressive
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have been whiskingperfect progressive
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has been whiskingperfect progressive
Past
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whiskedsimple
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had whiskedperfect
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was whiskingprogressive
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were whiskingprogressive
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had been whiskingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whisk
1325–75; (noun) Middle English ( Scots ) wysk rapid sweeping movement; (v.) earlier Scots wisk, quhisk < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse, Norwegian visk wisp, Swedish viska besom, wisp, to whisk (off ), Danish viske to wipe (compare Old High German wisken to wipe, wisc wisp of hay); for development of wh cf. whip
Explanation
When you whisk something, you stir it quickly and lightly with a kitchen tool also called a whisk. Grab that whisk and whisk those eggs! Most whisks have long handles and curved wire loops, a design that makes it easy to beat air into ingredients as you whisk them. Before the metal whisk was invented in the mid-19th century, cooks used bundles of twigs to whisk batters. You can also use whisk to mean "move quickly," so you might say, "Her parents managed to whisk her off to school before she was truly awake."
Vocabulary lists containing whisk
Pestle, Sieve, and Whisk: Useful Words for Cooking Tools
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A Good Kind of Trouble
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This Week in Pop Culture: May 18–24, 2019
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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:
Thirty-one days can whisk by in a flash.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
A new rail tunnel through the Alps will whisk passengers and freight from northern Italy to Munich at speeds of up to 155 miles an hour.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Heels click on cracked paving stones as fantastically long-limbed men and women practice moves they hope will whisk them away from South Sudan, one of the fashion world's favourite scouting locations.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
It had a whisk for a TV antenna and a cushion from the sofa for a bed, and I cut out windows with the big, sharp knife.
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
As the imaginary train whisks the puppets around the country, the show manages to build anticipation just by making the crowd wonder what comes next.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Addison Rae is a student of pop, and Headphones On is her master thesis – a hymn to music that whisks you away from the world for three minutes of distracted, hypnotic solace.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025
He whisks the reader from oceanic thermal vents through the rise of mammals to the emergence of human language, peppering the text with goofy drawings and personal anecdotes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025
I’m trapped in an endless cycle of whisks, cafes, cheesecakes, cookies, cloud foams, and flavored lattes.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2025
It whisks me and Woo into the air, out of the chasm, and toward the rest of the crew.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
For instance, Eatrenalin at Germany’s Europa-Park, a dining room-meets-ride where participants are whisked around the space on trackless “floating chairs,” has just received a coveted Michelin star.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Later, when Bond is whisked to Vietnam, the orchestra swells with suave panache, immersing you in the action before 007 has even uttered a quip.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
It’s the morning of The Devil Wears Prada 2 world premiere in New York, and Blunt is being whisked around for a day of press.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
A spoonful whisked into a skirt steak stew can make it taste as though it simmered well past dinnertime.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026
Sefia was handed a steaming mug and a bowl of rice porridge while Archer was whisked to the sick bay.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Last month, she announced an investigation into whether the US violated international law and the Mexican constitution by whisking Zambada out of the country to face justice.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Since then, a more tightly controlled entry through an augmented passageway at the terrace level has become a routine part of whisking the president inside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
It was there that they finally caught him, shooting him with a tranquilliser gun before whisking him back to the zoo.
From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026
Start by whisking a few yolks with some lemon juice in a bowl over gently simmering water — you want steam, not direct heat.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025
They left through the king's door behind the throne, the eunuch's slippers whisking lightly over the stone.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
