Used to describe a powerful circular current of water, often hazardous. The sailors navigated carefully to avoid the dangerous whirlpool.
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Not Always Large
Can refer to small water movements in a sink or bath, not just big ones in nature. I watched the water form a tiny whirlpool as it drained from the bathtub.
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Literal Use
Use 'whirlpool' in the literal sense when discussing actual movements in water. A whirlpool formed near the riverbank where the current was strongest.