whoosh

Also woosh

[hwoosh, hwoosh, woosh, woosh]

noun

1. a loud, rushing noise, as of air or water.

   a great whoosh as the door opened.

verb (used without object)

1. to move swiftly with a gushing or hissing noise.

   gusts of wind whooshing through the trees.

verb (used with object)

1. to move (an object, a person, etc.) with a whooshing motion or sound.

   The storm whooshed the waves over the road.

whoosh

/ wʊʃ /

noun

1. a hissing or rushing sound

2. a rush of emotion

   a whoosh of happiness

verb

1. (intr) to make or move with a hissing or rushing sound

Word History and Origins

Origin of whoosh¹

First recorded in 1840–50; imitative

Example Sentences

I hear the whoosh of the blade as it cuts through the troll’s extended arm like a spoon through Ma’s mashed potatoes—the akrafena slices the limb clean off.

Read more on Literature

The bounding wolf flew past her and knocked her flat on her back, with a whoosh of hot wolf breath and dank fur smell.

Read more on Literature

Now, if the wind tunnels hadn’t been running in the background, with their constant whoosh and roar, I might have heard a pin drop in the room.

Read more on Literature

With a press of a button—whoosh!—Xerox copiers could crank out as many copies as users might want.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I feel like I have a natural tendency to poke people at regular intervals with something surprising, a sound they hadn’t expected, like ‘whoosh,’ or an image that they hadn’t ever conjured before.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• circle 
• climb 
• cross 
• drift 
• float 
• flutter 
• glide 
• operate 
• pilot 
• reach 
• rush 
• sail 
• shoot 
• speed 
• swoop 
• take off 
• travel