'Whirlwind' definitions:
Definition of 'whirlwind'
(from WordNet)
noun
A more or less vertical column of air whirling around itself as it moves over the surface of the Earth
Definition of 'Whirlwind'
From: GCIDE
- Whirlwind \Whirl"wind`\, n. [Cf. Icel. hvirfilvindr, Sw. hvirfvelvind, Dan. hvirvelvind, G. wirbelwind. See Whirl, and Wind, n.] [1913 Webster]
- 1. A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the tornado, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the center; a vortex of air. It usually has a rapid progressive motion. [1913 Webster]
- The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods. And drowns the villages. --Bryant. [1913 Webster]
- Note: Some meteorologists apply the word whirlwind to the larger rotary storm also, such as cyclones. [1913 Webster]
- 2. Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward. "The whirlwind of hounds and hunters." --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]
Synonyms of 'whirlwind'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- ado,
- baguio,
- blaze,
- burst,
- bustle,
- Charybdis,
- convulsion,
- cyclone,
- dizzy round,
- dust devil,
- eddy,
- eruption,
- explosion,
- fit,
- flare-up,
- flurry,
- furore,
- fuss,
- gale,
- gurge,
- gust,
- gyre,
- hurricane,
- irruption,
- maelstrom,
- outbreak,
- outburst,
- paroxysm,
- pirouette,
- pother,
- rainspout,
- rat race,
- reel,
- rotary storm,
- round,
- sand column,
- sandspout,
- seizure,
- spasm,
- spin,
- storm,
- surge,
- swirl,
- tempest,
- tornado,
- turn,
- twirl,
- twister,
- typhoon,
- upheaval,
- vortex,
- waterspout,
- wheel,
- whirl,
- whirlblast,
- whirlpool,
- whirly,
- wind eddy