chiefly Scottish
as in to drink
to take part in drunken revelry spent a good part of his time in Edinburgh birling into the wee small hours of the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of birl There was sea salt in the air, and sleepless seagulls were birling in the darkness overhead. Douglas Stuart, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2020 In some parts of the United States, birling contests are annual events. Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 16 Feb. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birl
Verb
  • Anyone who’s drinking hot pumpkin spice lattes in a chunky sweater may need to rein it in for a little while.
    Briana Waxman, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Delicious now, this will drink well for the next 4-6 years.
    Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Many foreign attendees at San Fermín have no stomach for the spectacle and spend their early evenings carousing in local bars instead.
    Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
  • These increasingly crazed visitors spend their days lazing on the shore, drinking and eating, carousing with prostitutes, and abusing Rosa (played by B-movie actress Leonora Fani, who would also star in the equally notorious vacation film Giallo in Venice) for their own entertainment.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Gattuso reveled as his side broke the deadlock when Moise Kean headed in Mateo Retegui’s flick-on in the 58th minute.
    David Ferrini, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
  • And there are the neighbors who revel at the many nicknames coined for the spot.
    Lauren Brensel, Sun Sentinel, 17 July 2025
Verb
  • Still grieving the death of his wife and the imprisonment of his son, Brandis binges on booze but possesses a sharp and intuitive mind, even if his family life is in disarray.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Historically linked to meditation and traditional Japanese dining culture, today’s iterations are all about modern living needs that suit every whim—lounging while binging on the White Lotus reruns, creating a reading nook, or simply losing oneself in texts at the end of the day.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • One of his sons, Thomas (Dean-Charles Chapman), though hardly old enough to be in long pants, wears shining armor, while the other son, Hal (Timothée Chalamet), is a slouch who wastes his life in roistering.
    Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2019
Verb
  • Image Image In the village of Midsomer Norton, about 50 miles away, 100 people or so turned out for a community event to wassail three small apple trees in the local park.
    Stephen Castle, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
  • This drink was often used as part of wassailing in England.
    BHG Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Birl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birl. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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