white water rapid
1
4.2
- noun
- /ˈhwaɪt ˈwɔːtər ˈræpɪd/
- The information swirled by like churning white-water rapids, and it seemed that all he could do was sample here and there, and file for future analysis.
Examples
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Working this special darkness, and why—but it was like trying to focus on a single ripple in the midst of white-water rapids.
Fiction book (1991) -
Hey, do they got, like, white water rapids?
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The thrill of riding the white-water rapids has brought a flood of tourists to the river.
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Every year, the New River Gorge National River in West Virginia draws more than 1 million visitors to experience its exhilarating white-water rapids.
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They bungee jump, climb tall mountains, and cascade on tiny rafts through dangerous white-water rapids.
Synonyms
24
5.1
A fast part of a river where the water is rough
8
3.2
Fast, rough parts of a river full of bubbles that look white
8
4.8
Fast, bubbly water in rivers with rapids or near waterfalls
4
3.6
Sea or big lake with strong waves that make travel by boat difficult
How Turbulent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'white' (frothy/foamy), 'water' (river/stream), and 'rapid' (a fast, turbulent river section) together describe a fast, turbulent part of a river producing white froth. This follows a common descriptive pattern that is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
White water rapid comes from the river's look: when fast water hits rocks it makes white, foamy waves called white water, and a rapid is a fast, rough stretch of river. So, the phrase means 'a fast, rough part of a river'.