whirled; whirling; whirls
1
: to move in a circle or similar curve especially with force or speed
2
3
: to pass, move, or go quickly
whirled down the hallway
4
: to become giddy or dizzy : reel
my head is whirling
1
: to drive, impel, or convey with or as if with a rotary motion
2
a
: to cause to turn usually rapidly on or around an axis : rotate
b
: to cause to turn abruptly around or aside
3
obsolete
: to throw or hurl violently with a revolving motion
1
a
: a rapid rotating or circling movement
b
: something undergoing such a movement
2
3
: an experimental or brief attempt : try
gave it a whirl
Synonyms
Examples of whirl in a Sentence
Verb
The cars were whirling around the track.
Clothes were whirling in the washing machine.
The water whirled around the drain.
Her dance partner whirled her around.
Noun
My head was in a whirl.
the whirl of the mechanical ride made him dizzy
Recent Examples on the Web
Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Dozens of species of fish, including the endangered sawfish, have been spinning and whirling in the waters off the Florida Keys for months, but so far, there doesn't appear to be any threat to humans, the head of a marine laboratory and aquarium said Monday.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
When part of a cloud reaches some critical density, gravity causes that dense, roughly spherical region to collapse into a flattened, whirling protoplanetary disk with a nascent, glowing star at its center.
—Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Coltrane’s version, by contrast, is a hypnotic, nearly 14-minute-long whirling dervish of a thing, vamping an E minor into E major again and again and again, chanting and droning, propelled by Tyner’s insistent, percussive left hand on the keys.
—Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
In battles over females, males bite each other on the ears, necks, and legs, then whirl their adversaries in a circle.
—Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
On Monday, Dahlin whirled his stick high into the air after teammate Casey Mittelstadt was penalized for tripping with 1:38 remaining, negating Buffalo’s chance to enjoy a 6-on-5 advantage to push for a tying goal.
—John Wawrow, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
With the Italian lunch hour whirling around us, we are cradled in a confessional safe haven.
—Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024
Lennox, who had just begun singing the opening notes of her hit song, abruptly stopped to investigate, whirling around to address a section of the crowd.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2023
Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024
While shoppers might be willing to take a whirl on a pair of $17 earbuds or $12 running shoes, don’t expect to see Apple or Nike allowing their products to be sold on the site next to those dupes anytime soon.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
One hypothesis that could explain Venus’ enigmatic spin is that a planetary-sized object slammed into proto-Venus and reversed the whirl.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024
Give it a whirl — test your knowledge of all things pizza in this fun and engaging lifestyle quiz!
—Brittany Kasko, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
Think of it as a whirl of happy hours on steroids, often with a check attached.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 12 Jan. 2024
The grand centerpiece of Celestial Park is Constellation Carousel, an all-ages attraction that takes guests on a whirl through the Milky Way.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2024
How can parents navigate screen times, especially during the holiday whirl (and cold winter months) ahead?
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 18 Dec. 2023
The beat whirrs and whirls, sounding like wind buffeting through a helicopter’s rotors.
—Pitchfork, 7 Dec. 2023
Verb
At the center of the dial, beneath a sapphire dome, whirls a triple-axis tourbillon inside a triple mirror-polished titanium carriage.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Dozens of species of fish, including the endangered sawfish, have been spinning and whirling in the waters off the Florida Keys for months, but so far, there doesn't appear to be any threat to humans, the head of a marine laboratory and aquarium said Monday.
—Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024
When part of a cloud reaches some critical density, gravity causes that dense, roughly spherical region to collapse into a flattened, whirling protoplanetary disk with a nascent, glowing star at its center.
—Shannon Hall, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Coltrane’s version, by contrast, is a hypnotic, nearly 14-minute-long whirling dervish of a thing, vamping an E minor into E major again and again and again, chanting and droning, propelled by Tyner’s insistent, percussive left hand on the keys.
—Jeff MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024
In battles over females, males bite each other on the ears, necks, and legs, then whirl their adversaries in a circle.
—Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
On Monday, Dahlin whirled his stick high into the air after teammate Casey Mittelstadt was penalized for tripping with 1:38 remaining, negating Buffalo’s chance to enjoy a 6-on-5 advantage to push for a tying goal.
—John Wawrow, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
With the Italian lunch hour whirling around us, we are cradled in a confessional safe haven.
—Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024
Lennox, who had just begun singing the opening notes of her hit song, abruptly stopped to investigate, whirling around to address a section of the crowd.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 30 Nov. 2023
Noun
The coaches have asked athlete signee Juju Pope, a 6-0, 203-pounder from South Panola, Miss., to give linebacker a whirl so this spring will be a good litmus test for him.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2024
While shoppers might be willing to take a whirl on a pair of $17 earbuds or $12 running shoes, don’t expect to see Apple or Nike allowing their products to be sold on the site next to those dupes anytime soon.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
One hypothesis that could explain Venus’ enigmatic spin is that a planetary-sized object slammed into proto-Venus and reversed the whirl.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2024
Give it a whirl — test your knowledge of all things pizza in this fun and engaging lifestyle quiz!
—Brittany Kasko, Fox News, 16 Feb. 2024
Think of it as a whirl of happy hours on steroids, often with a check attached.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 12 Jan. 2024
The grand centerpiece of Celestial Park is Constellation Carousel, an all-ages attraction that takes guests on a whirl through the Milky Way.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2024
How can parents navigate screen times, especially during the holiday whirl (and cold winter months) ahead?
—Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 18 Dec. 2023
The beat whirrs and whirls, sounding like wind buffeting through a helicopter’s rotors.
—Pitchfork, 7 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whirl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whirl
Cite this Entry
“Whirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whirl. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whirl
1 of 2 verb
ˈhwər(-ə)l 
ˈwər(-ə)l
1
: to move or drive in a circle or curve especially with force or speed
cars whirling around the track
3
: to move or go quickly
whirled down the street
4
: to become dizzy : reel
my head is whirling
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share