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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiral
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2025
The best news of the week is that starting on Aug. 10, our cosmic messenger will end his backward spiral.
—Kyle Thomas, People.com, 10 Aug. 2025
William Earl, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Horton’s start on June 27 in Houston could have sent his season spiraling in the wrong direction.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Maggie Horton, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Spanning 44 miles and reaching nearly 13,000 feet in elevation, the railway has 77 tunnels, 50 bridges, and the world’s longest spiral rail line.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Verb
The magnetic field might be shaped like a spiral (called helical) or doughnut shaped (called toroidal).
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 13 Aug. 2025
The best news of the week is that starting on Aug. 10, our cosmic messenger will end his backward spiral.
—Kyle Thomas, People.com, 10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Close friend Matthew Ebert recalls that the actor was spiraling and that no one on the production intervened.
—William Earl, Variety, 15 Aug. 2025
Horton’s start on June 27 in Houston could have sent his season spiraling in the wrong direction.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
The pillow top cover is filled with a fine spiral fiber filling, which is held in place with quilted stitching that ensures equal distribution without bunching.
—Maggie Horton, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Spanning 44 miles and reaching nearly 13,000 feet in elevation, the railway has 77 tunnels, 50 bridges, and the world’s longest spiral rail line.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiral
Verb
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The club starts the ice making process around Oct. 1 and was set to start curling roughly three weeks later, but this season is in jeopardy.—
Ricardo Torres,
jsonline.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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While there are certainly products that can be used across different hair textures, lengths, curl patterns, thicknesses, colors (natural and unnatural), and needs, hair products are often created with specific consumers in mind.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In Copenhagen, cyclists glide past copper spires and winding canals—cinnamon pastries in hand.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Rancho Santa Fe’s semi-rural character, with its many winding corridors and narrow or non-existent bike lanes, adds challenges for the mix of users that includes drivers, cyclists and equestrians.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The biophilic elements will include skylights, more natural-looking features such as curves, and unobstructed exit views, Scovic said.—
Phil Rockrohr,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
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The research found that trust in agents rises with greater use: only 36% of those just exploring AI agents trust their organizations to use them responsibly, compared with 95% among those further along the adoption curve.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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With every step, my body coiled in anticipation of the surging pain.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
13 Aug. 2025
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That includes the obnoxious power strip, the slinky of cords coiled like a bad habit, and the dozens of imitation wireless chargers that still lean on cable spaghetti hidden under the table.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This latest development comes less than a week after Loop introduced its circular polyester resin made entirely from textile waste, known as Twist.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Sourcing Journal,
15 Aug. 2025
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Scrub with a soft sponge in circular motions, focusing on those stained areas.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
14 Aug. 2025
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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But in Chile 28 percent of kids had a counterclockwise whorl.—
Bethany Brookshire,
Scientific American,
31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Trump's own relationship with both Putin and Zelenskyy has been winding, running hot, then cool, then hot.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
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East wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This helical strand of molecules allows for information contained in DNA in the nucleus of cells to be delivered to ribosomes where protein synthesis can occur.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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These consist of arrays of small antennas, each fed with a signal at a shifted phase to create the helical wave.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
25 Apr. 2012
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiral. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.
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