Advertisement
Google AdSense Ad PlacementConfigure your Publisher Client ID in Admin → Site Settings to activate this spot
🇫🇷French Source WordCode: FR

tourbillon

Pronunciation / Transliteration: toor-bi-yōn

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Whirlpool/ˈwɜːl.puːl/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #8500 frequency
Full Thesaurus
🇫🇷 Example Sentence in French:

"Le bateau a failli couler dans le tourbillon."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A violently rotating body of water produced by opposing currents or a meeting of tides.

    "The small boat was dangerously pulled toward the center of the fierce whirlpool."
  2. 2

    A turbulent, chaotic state or situation resembling a swirling vortex.

    "She felt herself being sucked into the endless whirlpool of political office politics."

Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum

Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Middle English 'whirlepole', combining 'whirle' (to spin around, of Old Norse origin) and 'pule' or 'pool' (a small body of water, from Old English 'pōl'). Historically documented around the 14th century, it initially described a dangerous circular body of water produced by opposing currents, later extending metaphorically to rapid or confusingly busy situations.

Quick Vocabulary Retention Check

Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Whirlpool"?

Advertisement
Google AdSense Ad PlacementConfigure your Publisher Client ID in Admin → Site Settings to activate this spot
Thesaurus & Synonyms Graph

Explore Nuanced Synonyms for "Whirlpool"

Discover exact matches, context-specific alternatives, and antonyms with intensity ratings in the VocabDictionary Thesaurus.

View "Whirlpool" Synonym Map
Advertisement
Google AdSense Ad PlacementConfigure your Publisher Client ID in Admin → Site Settings to activate this spot