whirlwind

noun

1 the building was hit by a hellish whirlwind:

tornado, hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, tropical storm, tropical cyclone, vortex;

dust devil, waterspout;

North American, informal twister;

Australian, New Zealand, informal willy-willy.

2 a hectic whirlwind of activity:

bedlam, madhouse, mayhem, maelstrom, babel, chaos, pandemonium, uproar, turmoil, turbulence, swirl, tumult, hurly-burly, commotion, disorder, jumble, disarray, confusion, seething mass, welter;

informal all hell broken loose;

North American three-ring circus.

adjective

a whirlwind romance:

rapid, lightning, overnight, instant, headlong, impulsive, breakneck, whistle-stop, fast-track, accelerated, meteoric, sudden, swift, fast, quick, speedy;

informal quickie.