A whirlpool is a small area in a river or the sea where the water is moving quickly round and round, so that objects floating near it are pulled into its centre.

You can describe a situation in which a lot of unpleasant or complicated things are happening, and from which it is very difficult to escape, as a whirlpool .

A whirlpool bath or a whirlpool is a bath that is specially designed so that the water moves round and round.