D defs.my
Entry 2 senses Webster, 1913

Whirlwind

/wẽrl'-wĭndˌ/ · Whirl·wind · IPA /ˈ(h)wɝlwɪnd/
01 n. A violent windstorm of limited extent, as the tornado, characterized by an inward spiral motion of the air with an upward current in the ce…
  1. 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.
    “The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods. And drowns the villages.” Bryant.
  2. 2.
    Fig.: A body of objects sweeping violently onward.