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, 23 Oct. 2025
Four men have been convicted in cases related to the Monster of Florence, but doubts continue to swirl about their guilt among those familiar with the case.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
There’s also a swirl of cream cheese tucked in, which adds a little tang that keeps the sweetness in check.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 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, 23 Oct. 2025
Four men have been convicted in cases related to the Monster of Florence, but doubts continue to swirl about their guilt among those familiar with the case.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
Specialty flavors include gingerbread, wild blueberry, beignet, chocolate chip, and cinnamon swirl.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
There’s also a swirl of cream cheese tucked in, which adds a little tang that keeps the sweetness in check.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 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 26 Oct. 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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