1
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
the surprise verdict of the jury created a wild williwaw as reporters rushed to file their stories
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gust
a sudden brief rush of wind
a williwaw rose up seemingly out of nowhere and wreaked havoc with our campsite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of williwaw
The williwaw, a gale-force wind that came rolling down the mountain gathering speed, was depicted as a whorled cloud.
—
Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Sep. 2022
The dominant use of williwaw throughout the 19th century was in relation to storms around Cape Horn, including the Straits of Magellan.
—David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2022
The williwaw gusts swirled thick fog among transport ships off Attu Island, and the waiting infantrymen nervously mulled the name of their landing site: Massacre Bay.
—Alex Horton, Washington Post, 24 May 2018
Nancy Lord, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Sep. 2022
The dominant use of williwaw throughout the 19th century was in relation to storms around Cape Horn, including the Straits of Magellan.
—David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2022
The williwaw gusts swirled thick fog among transport ships off Attu Island, and the waiting infantrymen nervously mulled the name of their landing site: Massacre Bay.
—Alex Horton, Washington Post, 24 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for williwaw
Noun
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More than 24 hours later, it was stolen, but a commotion soon followed.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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Chappell Roan had come up, and there was a lot of commotion as there is on these carpets.—
Abigail Lee,
Variety,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Winds Thursday day through the night may reach gusts up to 21 miles per hour, NWS forecasts.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
10 Feb. 2025
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The former offers a smooth and steady ride outside Nynäshamn Harbor, Sweden, while experiencing gusts of 14 meters-per-second (31 mph), an air temperature of -2 °C (28.4 °F) and swells of up to 2 meters.—
Paul Ridden,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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According to the preliminary investigation, officers responded about 10 p.m. to a 911 call reporting a domestic disturbance involving a weapon at a home in the 4300 block of Laurel Avenue in the Riss Lake neighborhood on Kansas City’s East Side, according to the highway patrol’s statement.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2025
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The incident began shortly after the officers received a report of a man causing a disturbance at the bar and allegedly biting a security guard.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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An Idaho Supreme Court ruling against the construction of a new location for Boise’s Interfaith Sanctuary came as a blow, said Executive Director Jodi Peterson-Stigers.—
Sarah Cutler,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Feb. 2025
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The terminations would be a major blow to the historic independence of the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency and would reflect Trump’s determination to bend the law enforcement and intelligence community to his will.—
Gqlshare,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The big picture: This isn't the first time the use of AI at graduation has caused a stir on campus.—
Isaac Avilucea,
Axios,
7 Feb. 2025
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This caused a stir since Portnoy endorsed Donald Trump, and Swift was an outspoken supporter of opposing candidate Kamala Harris.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Usually, the salty breeze brought with it the sounds of baby elephant seals calling to their moms in high pitched yells.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
7 Feb. 2025
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Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville hit a patch of ice going into one hairpin and ripped the suspension off his car, limping back to the service park with a wheel dangling in the breeze.—
Raphael Orlove,
Robb Report,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In high school sports, things can change in a hurry.—
Todd Abeln,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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Thursday night, a tie game after the first period turned one-sided in a hurry, as the Seattle Kraken scored four goals in less than six minutes and cruised to a 6-2 win at Climate Pledge Arena.—
Curtis Pashelka,
The Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Their optimism regarding the possible Iranian retaliation would be based on the history of Israeli resilience in the face of Iraq's scud attacks in 1991, and Hamas' and Hezbollah's rocket strikes.—
Dmitry Adamsky,
Foreign Affairs,
20 Feb. 2011
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In low, clear water when trout are spooky, a bait presented on a dry fly or scud hook will drift more naturally with the current and that can mean the difference between a take and a pass.—
Joe Cermele,
Outdoor Life,
7 Mar. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near williwaw
Cite this Entry
“Williwaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/williwaw. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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