swirl

1 of 2

verb

swirled; swirling; swirls

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move with an eddying or whirling motion
swirling water
b
: to pass in whirling confusion
2
: to have a twist or convolution

transitive verb

: to cause to swirl
swirled her drink
swirlingly adverb

swirl

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
b
: whirling confusion
a swirl of events
2
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern
3
: an act or instance of swirling

Examples of swirl in a Sentence

Verb The water swirled around the drain. kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down Noun A swirl of smoke rose from the chimney. He painted swirls of color on the canvas. ice cream with chocolate swirls
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In the years leading up to the year 2000, rumors swirled about a bug that would wreak havoc on computer systems around the world. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 This red carpet season, the woman known for her love of vintage, major jewelry, and dramatic cuts, all swirled together with seemingly little effort into a result best described as SoCal soigné, is feeling a little nostalgic. Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024 Waybill stood amid a swirling gale of groovy hard rock created by the other four men onstage and uttered the quizzical, comical lines with a kind of perplexed deadpan delivery. Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Ever since Craig stepped down, rumors have been swirling regarding who will take on 007. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, companies are feeling the effects of high interest rates and sharply rising wages at the same time customer demand is waning and recession fears, though easing, are still swirling. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2024 Since OpenAI released the emails with Musk this week, speculation has swirled about the names and other details redacted from the messages. Will Knight, WIRED, 7 Mar. 2024 It’s been a stop-start decade for Apple’s electric car dream: swirling rumors, hires and layoffs, acquisitions, and doubt. Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 2 Mar. 2024 In 2016, dating rumors began swirling around the pair, who were spotted out on several dinner dates together. Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024
Noun
Shooting Shamrock Doughnut An Original Glazed doughnut dipped in light green icing with a green icing swirl, topped with a shamrock sugar piece. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 A lot of talk swirls around keeping employee morale high and supporting the mental health for workers. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Her brown mane swirls and snakes, reaching for the surface. Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 For this evening's look, worn in celebration of Chanel's new Fifth Avenue flagship, Baker created a neon mod eye moment, petal pink and swirls of silver shimmer framed by ample lashes. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2024 The yellow lemon cupcakes are cut in half and layered in 4-ounce jars with swirls of pink frosting. Sarah Gish, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024 Take in the morning rays at Black Bear Bread Co. (pictured) in Grayton Beach, and enjoy the pastel swirls of sunset at Pescado's rooftop in Rosemary Beach. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2024 Now, the same swirl of promise and controversy is reaching some of society’s most emotionally vulnerable members: teenagers. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 The swirls in the earth represent the mix of energies, including peace and chaos, that is happening on earth. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swirl.' 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

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of swirl was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near swirl

Cite this Entry

“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swirl

1 of 2 noun
1
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
2
: whirling confusion
lost in the swirl of events
3
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern

swirl

2 of 2 verb
1
: to move with or pass in a swirl
2
: to be marked with or arranged in swirls
3
: to cause to swirl
swirlingly
ˈswər-liŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on swirl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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