whirlpool
/ˈwəːlpuːl
/noun
1A quickly rotating mass of water in a river or sea into which objects may be drawn, typically caused by the meeting of conflicting currents.She watched the currents rush into whirlpools and swirl and swirl until they bumped into the next whirlpool, finally disappearing hundreds of feet beneath the water....
- Quickly, a whirlpool began to form at the center of the river.
- We stood on a cliff at the southern tip of Deer Island, staring down at the rips, eddies, and whirlpools tearing through the water below.
Synonyms
eddy, vortex, maelstrom, swirl, whirl
North American informal suckhole
literary Charybdis
1.1A turbulent situation from which it is hard to escape: he was drawing her down into an emotional whirlpool...
- Masses of people all over the world find themselves caught up in some kind of a whirlpool, in a situation where they are turned this way and that by forces they do not control and which no one appears to control.
- He found himself in a whirlpool of inward conflict.
- What they should not be doing is timidly dipping their toes in the political whirlpool and withdrawing them quickly, as soon as they realize that the water is colder than they had imagined.
2 (also whirlpool bath) A heated pool in which hot aerated water is continuously circulated.It comes hot on the heels of a £1.5 million investment at the hotel to provide a leisure facility, including swimming pool, whirlpool, large gym and sauna....
- It has recently refurbished its pool complex to include a fitness pool, a whirlpool and a new spa with a wide range of treatments.
- The swimming pool incorporates a therapeutic whirlpool and massage seats.
Synonyms
spa bath, hot tub
trademark Jacuzzi