(~es, or vortices)
1.
A ~ is a mass of wind or water that spins round so fast that it pulls objects down into its empty centre.
The polar ~ is a system of wintertime winds.
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2.
If you refer to a situation as a ~, you feel that you are being forced into it without being able to prevent it.
When marriages break down children are swept into the ~ of their parents’ embittered emotions.
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