swirled; swirling; swirls
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
: to cause to swirl
swirled her drink
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
Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The decision to appoint Mandelson nearly cost Starmer his job earlier this month, as questions swirled around his judgment about someone who has flirted with controversy during a decades-long political career.
—Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 19 Feb. 2026
Debate swirls around whether these financial behemoths should be banned.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swirl
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Verb
The decision to appoint Mandelson nearly cost Starmer his job as questions swirled around his judgment in someone who has flirted with controversy during a decades-long political career.
—Pan Pylas, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The decision to appoint Mandelson nearly cost Starmer his job earlier this month, as questions swirled around his judgment about someone who has flirted with controversy during a decades-long political career.
—Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Noun
The sheer blue-to-clear gradient adorned with 3D swirls and diamanté appliqués is a recipe for a show-stopping look.
—Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 19 Feb. 2026
Debate swirls around whether these financial behemoths should be banned.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 17 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swirl
Cite this Entry
“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swirl
1 of 2 noun1
: 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 verb1
: to move with or pass in a swirl
2
: to be marked with or arranged in swirls
3
: to cause to swirl
swirlingly
adverb
ˈswər-liŋ-lē
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