Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
spindrift

spindrift

1 8.8
Fine spray of sea water that the wind blows off waves
  • noun
  • /ˈspɪnˌdrɪft/
translation icon : espuma del mar
  • As the boat sailed through the storm, spindrift sent cold sprays of seawater over the deck.
  • snow and spindrift
  • wind blowing spindrift

Examples

  • During the winter storm, the spindrift swirled around the lighthouse, creating a beautiful yet treacherous scene.

  • Spindrift coming off the top.

    Vertical Limit (2000)

  • The tide was up, the wind blowing spindrift across the shaky pier.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • He sat on the cliff face with spindrift rising up from below and saw the lights of fishing boats bobbing out on the ocean.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The wind blew out of the east, throwing rainbows of spindrift back from the massive avalanches of the breakers, and as she watched them, she remembered music she hadn't heard, even in memory, for many years.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The strong wind whipped up the waves, creating spindrift that danced in the sunlight.

Synonyms

spray
vsspindrift
48 1.8

A fine cloud of small drops or particles in the air

is specifically sea water blown by wind from the surface rather than general droplets
sea spray
vsspindrift
1 2.0

Small drops of salty water that wind or waves blow from the sea

is limited to droplets moved by wind alone rather than by breaking waves
fine spray
vsspindrift
1 3.1

Tiny drops of liquid that float in the air

is produced specifically by wind on the sea surface rather than from any source
spoondrift
vsspindrift
9.9

A fine spray from the sea blown by wind

has the same meaning but is a variant form

Surface Forms

spindrift singular
spindrifts plural

Morphology

spindrift = spin + drift (semi-transparent) = spin + drift

Both components are recognisable English words ('spin' + 'drift'), but the specific meaning 'spray blown from the sea' is not fully predictable from their literal senses and the historical Scots formation adds uncertainty.

Etymology

The word spindrift can be remembered as a mix of spin ('to turn') and drift ('to be carried'), a helpful image for the sea spray. Imagine spray that turns in the air and is carried away by the wind, which is exactly what spindrift means.