Definition of whirlpoolnext
as in vortex
water moving rapidly in a circle with a hollow in the center in The Odyssey, Ulysses is trapped between the six-headed monster Scylla and Charybdis, a deadly whirlpool that threatens to suck in his ship

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of whirlpool The constantly moving whirlpools can act as energy stores for larger solar activity, such as flares and coronal mass ejections. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026 Finding these tiny whirlpools on the sun is only the beginning, Wöger says. Lee Billings, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026 In the book, Scylla and Charybdis trap Odysseus in a narrow strait, with Scylla waiting on one side to snatch sailors from passing ships and Charybdis creating a massive whirlpool on the other. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026 Sea monster Charybdis lives across from Scylla and causes destruction and death by acting as a massive whirlpool. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for whirlpool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirlpool
vortex
Noun
  • The vortexes over both the Arctic and Antarctic form in the fall when temperatures begin to cool.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The team identified 47 of these vortex-bearing interfaces in the telescope’s field of view and measured the spacing between adjacent curls.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Whirlpool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirlpool. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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