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
Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
An Atlantic Ocean devoid of swirling tropical waves is a welcome but unusual sight for mid-September.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Or, for something simpler and just as magical, step outside after dark and watch the Milky Way stretch and swirl above you.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swirl
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Verb
If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
An Atlantic Ocean devoid of swirling tropical waves is a welcome but unusual sight for mid-September.
—Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
Quite a few designs featured striking swirls, which Daveed says speak to the ways that many Haitian immigrants must travel when heading into the United States for a better life.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Or, for something simpler and just as magical, step outside after dark and watch the Milky Way stretch and swirl above you.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 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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