as in to rotate
to move in circles around an axis or center
the kayaker had got sucked into the whirlpool, and his kayak was pinwheeling helplessly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pinwheel
Forecasters warned of the arrival Thursday into Friday of a second intensifying low pressure area, which will pinwheel around the first bomb cyclone in an atmospheric interaction known as the Fujiwara Effect.
—
Andrew Freedman, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
Some of the outer rain bands and a few storms from Beta will pinwheel into the area from the east and southeast.
—Dallas News, 20 Sep. 2020
The man in the white vest pinwheeled his arms, ushering volunteers through the pick-up line outside the Salvation Army Community Center on Fourth Street with military precision.
—Lizzie Johnson, SFChronicle.com, 25 Dec. 2019
According to the space agency, IC 2051 is a spiral galaxy, noticeable in its whirling, pinwheeling arms and a bar of stars cutting through its center.
—Fox News, 23 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for pinwheel
Andrew Freedman, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024
Some of the outer rain bands and a few storms from Beta will pinwheel into the area from the east and southeast.
—Dallas News, 20 Sep. 2020
The man in the white vest pinwheeled his arms, ushering volunteers through the pick-up line outside the Salvation Army Community Center on Fourth Street with military precision.
—Lizzie Johnson, SFChronicle.com, 25 Dec. 2019
According to the space agency, IC 2051 is a spiral galaxy, noticeable in its whirling, pinwheeling arms and a bar of stars cutting through its center.
—Fox News, 23 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for pinwheel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinwheel
Verb
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Smarter Buying And Storage Habits The best way to keep spices at their peak is to buy, store, and rotate them wisely.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
14 Sep. 2025
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That’s a completely different challenge than rotating two and switching them out each drive and in certain packages.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since cable cars can’t reverse, operators must physically turn each car on a revolving wooden turntable at the terminus.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
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Mid-summer changes to United’s revolving credit facility indicated a switch in strategy, and there was a more aggressive approach in the market following a summit in Iceland between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Delivering an incredible 280 Air Watts of suction through its fifth generation Hyperdymium capable of spinning at 135,000rpm, the flagship model boasts a number of other supporting technologies such as laser dust detection, whole-machine HEPA filtration, and a 70-minute runtime.—
Alex Harrington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Gaudí’s structure is a head-spinning mixture of morphing geometrical forms, many inspired by nature.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Two go-go dancers twirled on a bar behind them.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
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But then, in August of 2024, it got stuck — again — this time slowly twirling in a kind of ocean vortex known as the Taylor column.—
Kat Lonsdorf,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pinwheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinwheel. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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