Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for dust devil

dust devil

[ duhst dev-uhl ]

noun

, Meteorology.
  1. a well-developed dust whirl with a diameter of about 10–100 feet (3–30 meters), rotating either clockwise or counterclockwise, common in dry regions on hot, calm afternoons and made visible by the dust, debris, and sand it picks up from the ground: dust devils on average are about 660 feet (200 meters) tall, but some have exceeded a height of 3,280 feet (1 kilometer):

    We noticed the base of the dust devil following a direct path along the ground, but its uppermost portion was meandering wildly.



dust devil

noun

  1. a strong miniature whirlwind that whips up dust, litter, leaves, etc into the air
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of dust devil1

First recorded in 1890–95
Discover More

Example Sentences

Perseverance has seen a number of dust devils and windstorms sweep through Jezero crater as a beautiful reminder of how environments are always changing, even on a dried-up planet like Mars.

Far across the mesa a dust devil spun up and writhed away toward the distant hills.

Then he wheeled like a sudden dust-devil and decamped in a cloud of dust, followed at full pelt by his clattering escort.

Perchance, for no mere erratic “dust-devil” is yonder cloud.

Your enemy comes upon you like a dust-devil—he appears, strikes, wins or loses, and then disappears again as suddenly as he came.

That's a 'dust devil,' and there's a half dozen more whirling in our direction.

Advertisement

Related Words

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


dust coverdust down