as in to curl
to follow a circular or spiral course
a narrow road spiraling up the mountain to the summit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in winding
turning around an axis like the thread of a screw
a spiral staircase takes visitors up into the Statue of Liberty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiral
The Week Uk, TheWeek, 22 Mar. 2026
At age 16, spiraling from bad choices and a tough home environment in Southern California, the Bible and baseball saved his life.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Idaho Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026
The airplane makes a spiral nose-down, down, down to the grave, kind of like going down a drain.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
David McHugh, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Nearly a decade ago, a spiral of depression and anxiety left him homeless and living on the streets of Spokane, Washington.
—Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Verb
It was recently reported that Moscow might be forced to slash its non-military spending by 10%, owing to the spiralling cost of its war in Ukraine and the impact of sanctions.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 22 Mar. 2026
At age 16, spiraling from bad choices and a tough home environment in Southern California, the Bible and baseball saved his life.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The sounds of friendly chatter echoed through a downtown Boise restaurant as tortilla after tortilla circled down a spiral warming belt.
—Idaho Statesman, 28 Mar. 2026
The airplane makes a spiral nose-down, down, down to the grave, kind of like going down a drain.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
Raising rates only makes sense if higher energy prices start being built into prices for other goods and into workers’ wages, producing a price spiral.
—David McHugh, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Nearly a decade ago, a spiral of depression and anxiety left him homeless and living on the streets of Spokane, Washington.
—Vernal Coleman, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiral
Verb
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Her father was seated on a chair with one foot tucked under him, and her mother was sitting on the sofa with both feet curled under her.—
Jacobina Martin,
Washington Post,
1 Apr. 2026
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Isaiah Evans slipped trying to curl to the rim and Solo Ball scooped up the ball, racing toward the basket, chased by the likely player of the year, Cam Boozer.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Chapin said Tokyo’s narrow and winding streets, often crowded with right-handed cars driving on the left side of the road, will present a fresh test for its AI technology, but that Nuro’s systems are designed to adapt and respond in real time.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
12 Mar. 2026
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Hosch, 67, went for a hike on part of the Appalachian Trail, a winding path that extends almost 2,200 miles through 14 states.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Across the futures curve, however, prices tell another story.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2026
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The outer shell of the Louis Vuitton building consists of 3,600 unique glass panels, each bent to a different curve along a different axis, an evident tour de force of engineering and coordination.—
Julian Rose,
Artforum,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By now, the mind-altering powers coiled in these devices are evident.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
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Overnight, the smoke coiled upward and gave way to acid rain that stained the city black.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The robot includes a perception system with dual RGB and RGB-D cameras, optional 3D LiDAR, and a six-microphone circular array for voice interaction.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
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The circular concrete structure stands in stark contrast to the rectangular steel-and-glass buildings that surround it.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Its eponymous flowers are deep red-orange and the foliage is composed of whorls of needle-like, silvery-blue leaves.—
Joshua Siskin,
Oc Register,
7 June 2025
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In 2024, the Ig Nobel Prize in anatomy went to an international team of scientists for their discovery that scalp hair whorls are more likely to spiral in a counter-clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere compared with the Northern Hemisphere.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2025
Verb
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The Cubs went from playing in 100-plus degree weather for over a week in Arizona to wind chills in the upper 20s on Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley Field in their 6-2 win over the Angels.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Those rural Black voters are concentrated east of the triangle, extending along winding state highways through small towns, flatlands and farmland toward the Atlantic coastline.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The two twisted helical stair stringers that support the treads are the structural beams that support the stairs and anyone going up and down them.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
3 Jan. 2026
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The team designed a soft, airless wheel that features elastic steel strips in a woven, crossed-helical pattern.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiral. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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