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
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 June 2025
In March, rumors swirled after an article in The Sun alleged that British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who’s starred in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Kick-Ass, and Bullet Train, had been formally offered the lead role, but no developments have occurred since.
—India Brown, Robb Report, 26 June 2025
Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
When pancake is ready to flip, squeeze the cinnamon mixture into a swirl shape on top of the pancake batter, pressing the tip of the bag slightly into the batter.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for swirl
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Verb
Despite the macroeconomic factors swirling over Wall Street, a relative calm has descended across markets.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 27 June 2025
In March, rumors swirled after an article in The Sun alleged that British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who’s starred in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Kick-Ass, and Bullet Train, had been formally offered the lead role, but no developments have occurred since.
—India Brown, Robb Report, 26 June 2025
Noun
These rays famously feed in two ways: The first is called cyclone feeding, where hundreds of rays gather in high-density food areas, circling to form a large swirl of predator and prey.
—Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
When pancake is ready to flip, squeeze the cinnamon mixture into a swirl shape on top of the pancake batter, pressing the tip of the bag slightly into the batter.
—Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for swirl
Cite this Entry
“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
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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