windswept

adjective

wind·​swept ˈwin(d)-ˌswept How to pronounce windswept (audio)
Synonyms of windsweptnext
: swept by or as if by wind

Examples of windswept in a Sentence

The sailors looked windswept and tired.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
England has a beautiful coastline, full of romantic, windswept bluffs, rocky cliffs, and quaint seaside villages. — Lila Harron Battis, Travel + Leisure, 23 July 2026 Because the dark sand absorbs light and the white frost reflects it, the interplay transforms the landscape into something that looks more like a scene from a sci-fi movie than a windswept Martian plain. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 17 July 2026 Even the idyllic island on which the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) is keeping an amnesiac Odysseus when the film begins is depicted as a windswept sandbar that looks in danger of being washed away by a strong-enough storm. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 July 2026 The Falkland Islands, the English call the windswept, rocky outcrops in the frigid south Atlantic Ocean. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for windswept

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of windswept was in 1791

Rhymes for windswept

See All Rhymes for windswept

Browse Nearby Words

windsurfing
windswept
wind-swift
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Windswept.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windswept. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

windswept

adjective
wind·​swept -ˌswept How to pronounce windswept (audio)
: disturbed by or as if by wind
a windswept beach

More from Merriam-Webster on windswept

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for windswept

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