maelstrom

noun

mael·​strom ˈmāl-strəm How to pronounce maelstrom (audio)
-ˌsträm
1
: a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius
tried to shoot the canoe across a stretch of treacherous maelstromHarper's
2
: something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence
the maelstrom enveloping the country
a maelstrom of emotions

Did you know?

The original Maelstrom, also known as the Mostenstraumen or Moskstraumen, is a channel located off the northwest coast of Norway that has dangerous tidal currents. English speakers became familiar with its (often exaggerated) perils through literature—Edgar Allan Poe wrote a story called “A Descent into the Maelstrom,” and Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea has—spoiler alert—a maelstrom at its climax. The English word arrived by way of the Dutch word maelstrom, which today is spelled maalstroom. (The Dutch word combines the verb malen, meaning “to grind,” and the noun strom, “stream.”) English speakers have applied the word to any powerful whirlpool since the 16th century, and by the 19th century they’d begun to apply it figuratively to things or situations resembling such maelstroms in turbulence or confusion.

Examples of maelstrom in a Sentence

She was caught in a maelstrom of emotions. The ship was drawn into the maelstrom.
Recent Examples on the Web Advertisement After the maelstrom of the 1968 Democratic National Convention, when party chiefs picked the presidential nominee and blood ran in the streets of Chicago, there was a strong push to overhaul the process and give voters more say. Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2024 In that time, OpenAI, seen by many as a leader in the generative AI field, has gone through a maelstrom of drama. Megan Poinski, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 But by the time Lee was summoned by the police in late October, a regional newspaper, quoting an anonymous Incheon police source, had already broken the news about the investigation, setting off a maelstrom of coverage. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024 Local tour companies offer maelstrom sightseeing boats, complete with survival suits. Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Jan. 2024 Ramaswamy offered the most complete response, pointing to the sectional and political tensions that had existed for decades prior to 1861 before noting that, without slavery, none of them was sufficient to ignite the maelstrom of civil war. Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 Spacek's largely empathetic performance mixes into a maelstrom of murder when her character finally snaps and wipes out most of her schoolmates and the faculty at the infamous prom. 11 of 20 10. Steven Thrash, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Just look at McDonald’s, which is facing a maelstrom of tension amid conflicting responses from its franchises. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2023 Wenders evocatively conveys the sheer physicality of the artist’s work and places the viewer virtually within the maelstrom of creation. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'maelstrom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete Dutch (now maalstroom), from malen to grind + strom stream

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of maelstrom was in 1588

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near maelstrom

Cite this Entry

“Maelstrom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maelstrom. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

maelstrom

noun
mael·​strom ˈmā(ə)l-strəm How to pronounce maelstrom (audio)
-ˌsträm
1
: a strong violent whirlpool dangerous to ships
2
: a great confusion
a maelstrom of emotions

More from Merriam-Webster on maelstrom

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!