whoosh
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a hissing or rushing sound
-
a rush of emotion
a whoosh of happiness
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
whooshsimple
-
whooshessimple
-
have whooshedperfect
-
has whooshedperfect
-
am whooshingprogressive
-
are whooshingprogressive
-
is whooshingprogressive
-
have been whooshingperfect progressive
-
has been whooshingperfect progressive
Past
-
whooshedsimple
-
had whooshedperfect
-
was whooshingprogressive
-
were whooshingprogressive
-
had been whooshingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whoosh
First recorded in 1840–50; imitative
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 are not seeing a big whoosh in the economy. We are seeing a strengthening recovery. It’s a cyclical recovery that is eating away at spare capacity from a cyclical low point,” Conway said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
And then whoosh — whatever the ball hit, it knocked down everything at once.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026
The morning simmered into the afternoon, and the news of the day continued to whoosh by.
From Slate • Mar. 8, 2025
Their breathing, sharp and drawn out with the occasional whoosh, mirrored the rise and fall of their limbs.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024
I let my breath out with a whoosh.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
