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
The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
Advertisement But even as other issues swirl, injuries at Disney theme parks, the company’s bread and butter, have continued to make headlines.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Currents swirled around it and sand piled up on it, but the weathered ship survived relatively intact.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
In January, rumors swirled that Gibson, who made her debut as companion Ruby Sunday in the sci-fi show’s Christmas special, would not be returning for Season 2 after Gatwa was spotted filming with Sethu.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Estrada said the investigation moved so rapidly because of high public interest and questions that had been swirling about Ohtani’s connection to the case.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As storms swirl across the South, more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi were without power Wednesday morning, according to poweroutage.us, and more could soon be left in the dark.
—Robert Shackelford, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons batter, and swirl to coat skillet.
—Julia Levy, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
Similar rumors began swirling around another actor, 37-year-old Song Ha-yoon, earlier this week.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Given the swirl of speculation and financial maneuvering around the company, the Charter deal negotiations come at a rough time for team Paramount.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
The brisk swirl of clouds is expected to cap temperatures in the low 50s most of Thursday, dipping down to the 40s overnight.
—Katie Lauer, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
The adorably powerful vibe’s tongue piece swirls and flutters on your clit for intense waves of pleasure that work every time.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 31 Mar. 2024
And the darkness is no longer monolithic, but swirls with shades of black and a parade of textures.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
But there are opportunities to be found in the swirl of change.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Vogel pointed out the swirls of coal tar, and other inky substances, streaming by on the surface of the canal like galaxies.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
As a bonus, the brand offers a truly impressive lineup of colors and patterns, from ocean blue to vintage swirls; there’s something for everyone.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
As reports swirl about the sale and the move, the Coyotes play in Calgary on Sunday and return to Arizona State University's Mullett Arena in Tempe for a 7 p.m. Wednesday game against Edmonton.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
Advertisement But even as other issues swirl, injuries at Disney theme parks, the company’s bread and butter, have continued to make headlines.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Currents swirled around it and sand piled up on it, but the weathered ship survived relatively intact.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
In January, rumors swirled that Gibson, who made her debut as companion Ruby Sunday in the sci-fi show’s Christmas special, would not be returning for Season 2 after Gatwa was spotted filming with Sethu.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
Estrada said the investigation moved so rapidly because of high public interest and questions that had been swirling about Ohtani’s connection to the case.
—Michael S. Schmidt, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As storms swirl across the South, more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi were without power Wednesday morning, according to poweroutage.us, and more could soon be left in the dark.
—Robert Shackelford, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons batter, and swirl to coat skillet.
—Julia Levy, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
Similar rumors began swirling around another actor, 37-year-old Song Ha-yoon, earlier this week.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
The perpetual swirl of cultural particles mutes the resonance of any individual voice.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Given the swirl of speculation and financial maneuvering around the company, the Charter deal negotiations come at a rough time for team Paramount.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
The brisk swirl of clouds is expected to cap temperatures in the low 50s most of Thursday, dipping down to the 40s overnight.
—Katie Lauer, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
The adorably powerful vibe’s tongue piece swirls and flutters on your clit for intense waves of pleasure that work every time.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 31 Mar. 2024
And the darkness is no longer monolithic, but swirls with shades of black and a parade of textures.
—Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
But there are opportunities to be found in the swirl of change.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Vogel pointed out the swirls of coal tar, and other inky substances, streaming by on the surface of the canal like galaxies.
—Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024
As a bonus, the brand offers a truly impressive lineup of colors and patterns, from ocean blue to vintage swirls; there’s something for everyone.
—Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 11 Mar. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near swirl
Cite this Entry
“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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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