swirl

1 of 2

verb

swirled; swirling; swirls

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: to cause to swirl
swirled her drink
swirlingly adverb

swirl

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
b
: whirling confusion
a swirl of events
2
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern
3
: an act or instance of swirling

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
Verb
Instead of quieting gossip swirling around the princess, the royal blunder further contributed to wild theories about her well-being and cast more doubt on the reliability of the palace as a source and the existence of the monarchy as a whole. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Then, there were the wild conspiracy theories that swirled around the couple. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 Heat a wok or large skillet over medium until lightly smoking; add oil, and swirl to coat. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 The decision came shortly after a hearing in which Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential candidate, sat in court as a criminal defendant and listened carefully to the legal arguments swirling around him. Devlin Barrett, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 After Damian broke up with Giannina at the altar (and Giannina muddied her dress by dramatically sprinting out of the ceremony), the couple briefly rekindled their relationship but broke up in August 2021 as rumors swirled about Damian dating Too Hot to Handle’s Francesca Farago. Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2024 But amid all the spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing noise swirling around the ground, the Norwegian looked like the calmest man in the stadium. Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 But this is really about the birds, dancers draped in black with red socks, who angle their arms like wings with flickering fingers and swirl around the stage in fluttering lines. Gia Kourlas, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 In the years leading up to the year 2000, rumors swirled about a bug that would wreak havoc on computer systems around the world. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Noun
The swirl of cartoon physics and comic melodrama is fantastical and otherworldly, as if survivalists in the wild had access to home-movie equipment to chart their increasing delirium. Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Karu, a cafe with a verdant patio, tops brownies with swirls of passionfruit mousse in the trendy Las Mercedes neighborhood. Laurence Blair, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 In 2011, the agency decided to end the satellite’s operations and deorbit it, rather than adding to the swirl of space junk orbiting the planet. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 His big, bold works were filled with swirls of bright paints portraying people and animals as receptacles for ancient spiritual myths. Jordan Michael Smith, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2024 Shooting Shamrock Doughnut An Original Glazed doughnut dipped in light green icing with a green icing swirl, topped with a shamrock sugar piece. Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2024 A lot of talk swirls around keeping employee morale high and supporting the mental health for workers. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Her brown mane swirls and snakes, reaching for the surface. Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024 For this evening's look, worn in celebration of Chanel's new Fifth Avenue flagship, Baker created a neon mod eye moment, petal pink and swirls of silver shimmer framed by ample lashes. Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 8 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of swirl was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near swirl

Cite this Entry

“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swirl

1 of 2 noun
1
: 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 verb
1
: to move with or pass in a swirl
2
: to be marked with or arranged in swirls
3
: to cause to swirl
swirlingly
ˈswər-liŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on swirl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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