twirl

verb

\ ˈtwər-(-ə)l

twirled; twirling; twirls

Definition of twirl

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to revolve rapidly

2 : to pitch in a baseball game

transitive verb

1 : to cause to rotate rapidly

2 : pitch sense 2a

twirl

noun

Definition of twirl (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act of twirling

2 : coil, whorl

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Other Words from twirl

Verb

twirler \ ˈtwər-lər

\ noun

Noun

twirly \ ˈtwər-lē

\ adjective

Examples of twirl in a Sentence

Verb

They twirled past us on the dance floor. The cheerleaders jumped and twirled. The kite twisted and twirled in the wind. The chef twirled the noodles around his fork.

Noun

The dancers executed perfect twirls. the twirl of the dancer's skirt mesmerized me

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

So the groom donned sunglasses and started to swing around in his wheelchair while holding his bride’s hand, pumping himself up and down like a jack-in-the-box and twirling his arms above his head like the rotary blades on a helicopter. — Neal Hirschfeld, New York Times, "He Was Shot and Paralyzed 37 Years Ago. That’s Not How the Story Ends.," 2 Aug. 2019 Another held her phone aloft for a selfie while twirling a cloud of cotton candy. — Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic, "Where Everyone’s an Influencer," 31 July 2019 The Cuban pitcher, known as much for his moustache, cigar-chomping habit and twirling windup as his success on the mound, retired from MLB in 1982. — Ben Pickman, SI.com, "Remembering the Time Luis Tiant Was Traded for 500 Teddy Bears," 29 July 2019 This artwork was of a jaunty pilot sitting in the cockpit of a colorful plane made up of mechanical plastic disks on wires that twirled around and around. — John Kelly, Washington Post, "Air and Space Museum used to feature flying machines of the strangest sort," 27 July 2019 Devin Smeltzer was called up and then sent back down almost immediately, but not before twirling five innings of one-run ball against New York. — Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, "The Twins are getting contributions from some younger arms," 26 July 2019 Some will be able to watch as keepers put them through exercise routines that will include behavior ranging from waving to twirling a baton and slam-dunking a basketball. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "From the Archives: Panda Watch," 23 July 2019 Last week, it was announced that Moore will be twirling back to season 12 of RHOA. — Jasmine Grant, Essence, "Porsha Williams and Kenya Moore Joined Their Daughters For A Play Date...Then This Happened!," 15 July 2019 Get ready to twirl again — Kenya Moore is coming back to the Real Housewives of Atlanta! — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, "Kenya Moore Is Returning to The Real Housewives of Atlanta Next Season," 10 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With posters of the Season 8’s inferno imagery behind her, the actress gave a twirl on the red carpet at Radio City Music Hall creating an otherworldly photo op and a divine fashion moment. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Gwendoline Christie Ruled the Game of Thrones Red Carpet in a Gown of Ice and Fire," 4 Apr. 2019 As the pair began their twizzle sequence — a series of synchronized twirls on one foot — the top of Min’s outfit briefly slipped down. — Christina Caron, New York Times, "Adding to Olympic Nerves: A Wardrobe Malfunction on Ice," 11 Feb. 2018 About five years ago, Nicchi founded CVT, which stands for chocolate vanilla twirl. — Megan Marples And Saeed Ahmed, CNN, "This ice cream truck owner is sick of influencers, and now he's doing something about it," 3 July 2019 His demand that Watts’s Carlson do a twirl in the hallway — and her sly submission to it — are disturbing. — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Russell Crowe a force as Roger Ailes in ‘The Loudest Voice’," 26 June 2019 The best way to dodge incoming bullets is to tap the controller’s left bumper which makes your masked gunslinger twirl around like a rampaging dervish. — Washington Post, "Nothing but old-fashioned arcade fun in ‘My Friend Pedro’," 21 June 2019 Irma Thomas and Cyril Neville manned the lyrics as Deacon John provided backup vocals and the occasional twirl. — Hanna Krueger, nola.com, "“We don’t do pity parties. We do parties”: New Orleans sends Dr. John off in style," 22 June 2019 Megan Rapinoe's twirl and slide after the ninth goal galled some observers. — Steven Goff, courant.com, "With larger goals in mind, USWNT says it’s not worried about how it celebrates them," 13 June 2019 The 23-year-old model was heading to Variety's Power Of Women event in Manhattan, but stopped to give photographers a twirl (in the rain, mind you) and flaunt her dramatic ensemble. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gigi Hadid Casually Slayed a Cape on the Streets of New York City," 5 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'twirl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near twirl

Statistics for twirl

Last Updated

11 Aug 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for twirl

The first known use of twirl was in 1598

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More Definitions for twirl

twirl

verb

English Language Learners Definition of twirl

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to turn (something) around and around quickly

: to turn or spin around and around

: to twist or wrap (something) around something

twirl

noun

English Language Learners Definition of twirl (Entry 2 of 2)

: an act of turning or spinning around quickly

See the full definition for twirl in the English Language Learners Dictionary

twirl

verb

\ ˈtwərl

twirled; twirling

Kids Definition of twirl

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to turn or cause to turn rapidly Next, he picked up a … brush by the handle and twirled it back and forth …— Franklin W. Dixon, The Secret Panel