spiral

1 of 3

adjective

spi·​ral ˈspī-rəl How to pronounce spiral (audio)
1
a
: winding around a center or pole and gradually receding from or approaching it
the spiral curve of a watch spring
b
c
: spiral-bound
a spiral notebook
2
: of or relating to the advancement to higher levels through a series of cyclical movements
spirally adverb

spiral

2 of 3

noun

1
a
: the path of a point in a plane moving around a central point while continuously receding from or approaching it
b
: a three-dimensional curve (such as a helix) with one or more turns about an axis
2
: a single turn or coil in a spiral object
3
: something having a spiral form as:
b(1)
: a spiral flight
(2)
: a kick or pass in which a football rotates on its long axis while moving through the air
4
: a continuously spreading and accelerating increase or decrease
wage spirals

spiral

3 of 3

verb

spiraled or spiralled; spiraling or spiralling

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 in a Sentence

Adjective a spiral staircase takes visitors up into the Statue of Liberty Noun The glider flew in a wide spiral over the field. The quarterback threw a tight spiral to the receiver. Verb Smoke spiraled up from the chimney. The airplane spiraled to the ground and crashed. The unemployment rate has been spiraling upward. The stock market is spiraling downward. Let's deal with this crisis before it spirals out of control.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The spiral arms of the Milky Way stretch about 100,000 light-years, and the sun (and our solar system) reside about two-thirds of the way out from the center of the galaxy. Dean Regas, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2024 Entering the hotel, guests immediately noticed black and white patterns, from the chess flooring to the striped optical illusions of spiral vortexes, all of which called to mind the intro of the late 1950s/early 1960s television show The Twilight Zone. Allyson Portee, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024 Made of stainless steel, the spiral screw features grooved metal that helps the helix insert smoothly into the cork. Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024 This galaxy hosts a supernova in the outer region of its spiral arms called SN 2021aw. Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024 Our own little solar system resides in one of the spiral arms of the Milky Way. Aj Willingham, CNN, 3 Feb. 2024 Voices seem to whisper on the frigid winter winds, and that creepy spiral symbol, which fans may remember from season 1, keeps popping up in the detectives’ investigation. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2024 With its hard-to-miss spiral motif at Sixth and College, Cosmos is a study in eclecticism: an airy, open room downstairs with a circular bar, an art gallery, an upstairs cigar lounge and balcony for dining, and a menu that runs from sushi to tapas. Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 Part Two press wardrobe, outfitted in a skin-baring, spiral Alaïa dress for a photocall in Paris. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
Read more Here's what to know about the chaos in Haiti Haiti's spiral of violence appeared to hit new lows in recent days as the country's powerful gangs led a series of coordinated assaults in what seemed to be an effort to overthrow the authorities. USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 The Russian air arm isn’t yet in an organizational death spiral. David Axe, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 There’s always something to send us into a doom spiral. Claire Cohen, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2024 The awkward encounter sent Krumholtz into a spiral. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2024 Start at one end of a bacon slice and roll the slice into a spiral. Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2024 That dynamic results in an escalating spiral that leaves both sides primed for war. Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 To improve lens performance, upcoming research should focus on optimizing design parameters like the shape and distribution of the spiral for better results across various apertures and focal zones. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Place on prepared baking sheet, and rotate dough so outer spiral of dough is bottom of body and end of cinnamon roll spiral is pointing to the right. Anna Theoktisto, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
That’s one reason the movie works: Things spiral wildly out of control for Dom and Cole, but the foundation feels real. Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Arizona once participated in 1967, but the consumption of energy spiraled out of control. Amy Huschka, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2024 Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday amid the spiraling violence in Port-au-Prince. Tara John, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 Because of the years of instability, lack of investment and the decreasing economic activity, the country has spiraled into a multifaceted crisis, Richardson said. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2024 Yet, while violent crime hovers near historic lows, a combination of spiraling street homelessness, record-breaking overdose deaths and spiking property crime has left many voters saying safety is their top issue. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Her comments raised a red flag for Sydney, who took her concerns to Joey and accused Maria of being a bully, which caused the conflict to spiral even further out of control. EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Ye’s business partners and many of his former fans turned against him when the Grammy-winning artist abruptly spiraled into public antisemitism. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 Meanwhile, with climate instability also set to increase, the level of unpredictability could further spiral. Fortune, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spiral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Medieval Latin spiralis, from Latin spira coil — more at spire

First Known Use

Adjective

1551, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1834, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of spiral was in 1551

Dictionary Entries Near spiral

Cite this Entry

“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiral. Accessed 15 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spiral

1 of 3 adjective
spi·​ral ˈspī-rəl How to pronounce spiral (audio)
1
: winding or circling around a center and gradually getting closer to or farther away from it
the spiral curve of a watch spring
2
: winding around an axis like the thread of a screw
a spiral staircase
spirally adverb

spiral

2 of 3 noun
1
a
: a curve in a plane that winds around a point while getting closer to or farther away from it
b
: a curve (as a helix) in space that winds around an axis
2
: a single turn or coil in a spiral object
3
: something having a spiral form

spiral

3 of 3 verb
spiraled or spiralled; spiraling or spiralling
: to move in a spiral path

Medical Definition

spiral

1 of 2 adjective
spi·​ral ˈspī-rəl How to pronounce spiral (audio)
1
a
: winding around a center or pole and gradually receding from or approaching it
b
: helical
the spiral structure of DNA
2
: being a fracture in which the break is produced by twisting apart the bone
a double spiral break
spirally adverb

spiral

2 of 2 noun
1
: the path of a point in a plane moving around a central point while continuously receding from or approaching it
2
: a three-dimensional curve (as a helix) with one or more turns about an axis
the double spiral of DNA

More from Merriam-Webster on spiral

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