Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can refer to a lot of intense activity as a whirl of activity. □ [+ of ] In half an hour's whirl of activity, she does it all. □  Your life is such a social whirl.

3 PHRASE If you decide to give an activity a whirl , you do it even though it is something that you have never tried before. [INFORMAL ] □  Why not give acupuncture a whirl? □  We decided to give it a whirl.

whirl|pool / ^h wɜː ^r lpuːl/ (whirlpools ) N‑COUNT A whirlpool is a small area in a river or the sea where the water is moving quickly round and round, so that objects floating near it are pulled into its centre.

whirl|wind / ^h wɜː ^r lw I nd/ (whirlwinds )

1 N‑COUNT A whirlwind is a tall column of air which spins round and round very fast and moves across the land or sea.

2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can describe a situation in which a lot of things happen very quickly and are very difficult for someone to control as a whirlwind . □ [+ of ] I had been running around southern England in a whirlwind of activity.

3 ADJ [ADJ n] A whirlwind event or action happens or is done much more quickly than normal. □  He got married after a whirlwind romance. □  … a whirlwind tour of France.

whirr / ^h wɜː ^r / (whirrs , whirring , whirred ) also whir VERB When something such as a machine or an insect's wing whirrs , it makes a series of low sounds so quickly that they seem like one continuous sound. □ [V ] The camera whirred and clicked. □ [V -ing] …the whirring sound of the film projector. ● N‑COUNT [usu sing] Whirr is also a noun. □ [+ of ] He could hear the whirr of a vacuum cleaner.

whisk / ^h w I sk/ (whisks , whisking , whisked )

1 VERB If you whisk someone or something somewhere, you take them or move them there quickly. □ [V n prep/adv] He whisked her across the dance floor. □ [V n prep/adv] I was whisked away in a police car.

2 VERB If you whisk something such as eggs or cream, you stir it very fast, often with an electric device, so that it becomes full of small bubbles. □ [V n] Just before serving, whisk the cream. □ [V n with together ] In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar and the yolks.

3 N‑COUNT A whisk is a kitchen tool used for whisking eggs or cream. □  …an electric whisk.

whisk|er / ^h w I skə ^r / (whiskers )

1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The whiskers of an animal such as a cat or a mouse are the long stiff hairs that grow near its mouth.

2 N‑PLURAL You can refer to the hair on a man's face, especially on the sides of his face, as his whiskers . □  …wild, savage-looking fellows, with large whiskers, unshaven beards, and dirty faces.

3 N‑SING You can use whisker in expressions such as by a whisker or within a whisker of to indicate that something happened or is true, but only by a very small amount or degree. □  A new pet census showed that cats now outnumber dogs by a whisker (7 million to 6.9 million). □ [+ of ] She came within a whisker of taking a gold medal. □  Unemployment is now a whisker away from three million.

whisk|ery / ^h w I skəri/ ADJ If you describe someone as whiskery , you mean that they have lots of stiff little hairs on their face. □  …a whiskery old man.

whis|key / ^h w I ski/ (whiskeys ) N‑VAR Whiskey is whisky that is made in Ireland or the United States. □  …a tumbler with about an inch of whiskey in it. ● N‑COUNT A whiskey is a glass of whiskey.

whis|ky / ^h w I ski/ (whiskies ) N‑VAR Whisky is a strong alcoholic drink made, especially in Scotland, from grain such as barley or rye. □  …a bottle of whisky. □  …expensive whiskies and brandies. ● N‑COUNT A whisky is a glass of whisky. □  She handed him a whisky. WORD HISTORY whisky

The word whisky comes from Scottish Gaelic uisge beatha , meaning 'water of life'.