plural eddies
1
a
: a current of water or air running contrary to the main current
especially
: a circular current : whirlpool
b
: something moving similarly
2
: a contrary or circular current (as of thought or policy)
eddied; eddying
: to cause to move in an eddy
: to move in an eddy or in the manner of an eddy
Examples of eddy in a Sentence
Noun
The boat was caught in a powerful eddy.
Verb
The wind gusted and eddied around us.
The waves swirled and eddied against the pier.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Readers who crave hard-shell explanations of time travel or who need to know exactly what mechanism causes the continuum to loop and create an eddy will have to look elsewhere.
—Meg Elison, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
Rick Borchelt, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024
The crowd eddied, some with batons dancing concentrically around the wheel of fire, others collecting around two young men in white.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for eddy
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Noun
Forecasters said the marine layer will thicken on Monday as a Catalina eddy churns counter-clockwise along the San Diego County coastline.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Readers who crave hard-shell explanations of time travel or who need to know exactly what mechanism causes the continuum to loop and create an eddy will have to look elsewhere.
—Meg Elison, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
Verb
Spiders are also keen observers of the forest’s breath, barely perceptible air currents eddying through the trees, and place their webs strategically to intercept these drafts — and the insects that use them to boost their transit through the woods.
—Rick Borchelt, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2024
The crowd eddied, some with batons dancing concentrically around the wheel of fire, others collecting around two young men in white.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
See All Example Sentences for eddy
Cite this Entry
“Eddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eddy. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
eddy
1 of 2 noun
ed·dy
ˈed-ē 
plural eddies
: a current of air or water running against the main current or in a circle
eddy
2 of 2 verb
eddied; eddying
: to move in an eddy or in a way that forms an eddy
Biographical Definition
Eddy
biographical name
Ed·dy
ˈe-dē
Mary (Morse) 1821–1910 née Baker American founder of the Christian Science Church
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