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
Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
And just like us, the issues that divided them had swirled for well over a decade, driving animosity over the power of government, the meaning of liberty, and the rights of citizens.
—Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
But a small leftover swirl in the atmosphere could help spark new storms later Saturday, the weather service said.
—Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for swirl
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
As questions swirl about James’ future, ESPN reported that James representatives and the Lakers are engaged in talks the structure of a new contract.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026
And just like us, the issues that divided them had swirled for well over a decade, driving animosity over the power of government, the meaning of liberty, and the rights of citizens.
—Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
Noun
The first 10 minutes are an incredible swirl of paranoia, alcoholism, and sluggish dumbness when Gould just needs to feed his cat.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
But a small leftover swirl in the atmosphere could help spark new storms later Saturday, the weather service said.
—Kansas City Star, 12 June 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 18 Jun. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
