1
a
: winding around a center or pole and gradually receding from or approaching it
the spiral curve of a watch spring
b
: helical
c
: spiral-bound
a spiral notebook
2
: of or relating to the advancement to higher levels through a series of cyclical movements
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:
a
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
spiraled or spiralled; spiraling or spiralling
: to go and especially to rise or fall in a spiral course
costs spiraled upward
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
The two potential polar ring galaxies—in which a ring of hydrogen gas orbits the main spiral disk at a 90-degree angle—are highly unusual objects.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023
Wandering Stars Pass Near Our Solar System Surprisingly Often
Triple Spiral Arms
To understand how these spiral streamers formed, the team turned to simulations on supercomputers ATERUI and ATERUI II programmed by Matsumoto.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023
Dancers rotate and spiral, bend a knee, bring the foot across the leg, and land in a supported slanted plank.
—Catherine Tharin, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
For my older son, typing out his writing assignments in the Notes app on our family iPad best allows the words to flow; for my younger, a sharpened pencil and a spiral notebook with thick lines for his oversize letters serve best.
—Saul Austerlitz, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
And this book took me about four or five full spiral notebooks.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Sep. 2023
Instead of defaulting to a pack of Bic pens and a spiral notebook, consider nabbing a Rocketbook.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 29 Aug. 2023
For our own Milky Way, astronomers estimate that this diffuse, dark cocoon — termed a halo — weighs roughly a trillion solar masses and is more than 10 times wider than the galaxy’s spiral disk of stars.
—Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023
oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
No need to boost volume for this curl type, as these spirals create fullness by bouncing off each other.
—Sabina Wizemann, Good Housekeeping, 8 Sep. 2023
Thus begins the spiral of anger, confusion and sadness that is The King, the indie singer-songwriter’s masterful expression of grief.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 8 Sep. 2023
The longest of Cardi B's purple spirals cascaded toward her lower back while the shorter multi-colored pieces formed a curly bang.
—Gabi Thorne, Allure, 5 Sep. 2023
Read full article The latest attack is part of a relentless spiral of violence that has fueled the worst fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly two decades.
—Sam McNeil and Nasser Nasser, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
Economists caution that such a train wreck is not guaranteed, and the spiral has not kicked into gear anywhere yet.
—Rachel Siegel, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2023
The stems can be guided through training methods to resemble braids, spirals, hearts and loops.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 31 Aug. 2023
That’s a big deal to Federal Reserve officials, who have spoken publicly about their fears of a wage-price spiral — the feedback loop that drives inflation higher as people make more money and go out and spend it.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 30 Aug. 2023
Politifact Staff Writer, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023
Should the investment bank’s bleaker prediction prove true—rather than its base case estimate for year-end 2024 of $93—then this could quickly spiral into an election issue in next year’s campaign.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023
In recent weeks, Country Garden has become emblematic of China’s spiraling property crisis, which is hampering efforts by the government to reignite economic growth.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 6 Sep. 2023
After months of rising prices and social media hype, the crypto market last year spiraled into a crisis that cost investors billions in savings and allowed lawyers, bankers and other traditional power brokers to reap immense profits.
—Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
Rodriguez stars as a troubled ex-soldier who fights to save her family as the world spirals out of control.
—Starr Savoy, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
And in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Loftin said, Crumbley was spiraling, alone and depressed.
—Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2023
In the finale, the play spirals into an onstage brawl after Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) storms the set to confront Lexi, her younger sister.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
The disagreement had spiraled into one of the big rifts in their relationship.
—Sarah Felbin, Women's Health, 18 Aug. 2023
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Adjective
These cause spiral lines to appear on the building, drawing the eye into a rhythm rather than straight up and down.
—Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
The two potential polar ring galaxies—in which a ring of hydrogen gas orbits the main spiral disk at a 90-degree angle—are highly unusual objects.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023
Wandering Stars Pass Near Our Solar System Surprisingly Often
Triple Spiral Arms
To understand how these spiral streamers formed, the team turned to simulations on supercomputers ATERUI and ATERUI II programmed by Matsumoto.
—Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2023
Dancers rotate and spiral, bend a knee, bring the foot across the leg, and land in a supported slanted plank.
—Catherine Tharin, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Aug. 2023
For my older son, typing out his writing assignments in the Notes app on our family iPad best allows the words to flow; for my younger, a sharpened pencil and a spiral notebook with thick lines for his oversize letters serve best.
—Saul Austerlitz, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
And this book took me about four or five full spiral notebooks.
—Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 2 Sep. 2023
Instead of defaulting to a pack of Bic pens and a spiral notebook, consider nabbing a Rocketbook.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 29 Aug. 2023
For our own Milky Way, astronomers estimate that this diffuse, dark cocoon — termed a halo — weighs roughly a trillion solar masses and is more than 10 times wider than the galaxy’s spiral disk of stars.
—Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023
Noun
During a second-quarter play last Saturday against San Diego State, Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei ran to his right, then suddenly pivoted, jumped and fired a spiral across the field to left tackle Joshua Gray.
—oregonlive, 19 Sep. 2023
No need to boost volume for this curl type, as these spirals create fullness by bouncing off each other.
—Sabina Wizemann, Good Housekeeping, 8 Sep. 2023
Thus begins the spiral of anger, confusion and sadness that is The King, the indie singer-songwriter’s masterful expression of grief.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 8 Sep. 2023
The longest of Cardi B's purple spirals cascaded toward her lower back while the shorter multi-colored pieces formed a curly bang.
—Gabi Thorne, Allure, 5 Sep. 2023
Read full article The latest attack is part of a relentless spiral of violence that has fueled the worst fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly two decades.
—Sam McNeil and Nasser Nasser, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
Economists caution that such a train wreck is not guaranteed, and the spiral has not kicked into gear anywhere yet.
—Rachel Siegel, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Sep. 2023
The stems can be guided through training methods to resemble braids, spirals, hearts and loops.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 31 Aug. 2023
That’s a big deal to Federal Reserve officials, who have spoken publicly about their fears of a wage-price spiral — the feedback loop that drives inflation higher as people make more money and go out and spend it.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 30 Aug. 2023
Verb
Another conservative legal scholar, Stanford University’s Michael McConnell, agreed the 14th Amendment approach could spiral out of control.
—Politifact Staff Writer, Dallas News, 7 Sep. 2023
Should the investment bank’s bleaker prediction prove true—rather than its base case estimate for year-end 2024 of $93—then this could quickly spiral into an election issue in next year’s campaign.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2023
In recent weeks, Country Garden has become emblematic of China’s spiraling property crisis, which is hampering efforts by the government to reignite economic growth.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 6 Sep. 2023
After months of rising prices and social media hype, the crypto market last year spiraled into a crisis that cost investors billions in savings and allowed lawyers, bankers and other traditional power brokers to reap immense profits.
—Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
Rodriguez stars as a troubled ex-soldier who fights to save her family as the world spirals out of control.
—Starr Savoy, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
And in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Loftin said, Crumbley was spiraling, alone and depressed.
—Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2023
In the finale, the play spirals into an onstage brawl after Cassie (Sydney Sweeney) storms the set to confront Lexi, her younger sister.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2023
The disagreement had spiraled into one of the big rifts in their relationship.
—Sarah Felbin, Women's Health, 18 Aug. 2023
See More
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
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
Phrases Containing spiral
Dictionary Entries Near spiral
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiral. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
spiral
2 of 3 noun1
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
2 of 2 noun1
: 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
Nglish: Translation of spiral for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of spiral for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spiral
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