spiral

³spiral

verb

spiraled or spiralledspiral·ing or spiral·ling

Definition of SPIRAL

intransitive verb

: to go and especially to rise or fall in a spiral course <costs spiraled upward>

transitive verb

1

: to form into a spiral

2

: to cause to spiral

Examples of SPIRAL

1. Smoke spiraled up from the chimney.
2. The airplane spiraled to the ground and crashed.
3. The unemployment rate has been spiraling upward.
4. The stock market is spiraling downward.
5. Let's deal with this crisis before it spirals out of control.

First Known Use of SPIRAL

1834

Related to SPIRAL

Synonyms: coil, corkscrew, curl, entwine, wind, twine, twist

Related Words: arc, arch, bend, crook, curve, hook, sweep, swerve, turn, veer, wheel; swirl, whirl; circle, encircle, loop; enlace, interlace, intertwine, lace; bow, bulge; meander, weave, zigzag

Near Antonyms: straighten

[+]more[-]hide