birl

verb

ˈbər(-ə)l How to pronounce birl (audio)
Definition of birlnext
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

Relevance

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
  1. drink
  2. carouse
  3. revel
  4. binge
  5. roister
  6. wassail
Verb
  • Contributing Writer Zoë Cook is a Cornish writer specializing in food, drink, and travel.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
  • There are a large number of NA spirits and cocktails to choose from these days, part of the industry’s response to people drinking less overall.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 Nov. 2026
Definition of drink
Verb
  • There are certainly fans and pundits who feel that anything short of a title shouldn’t be celebrated in sports, and some who think carousing over anything less is especially beneath the Yankees, who have won 27 World Series but zero since 2009.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Three sitting rooms are complemented by a further three members’ social spaces for carousing in, concealed behind a subtle screen (here, DJs including Goldierocks make appearances, and mobile snaps are banned; staff politely place a sticker over mobile camera lenses).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Definition of carouse
Verb
  • The video sweeps around a reveling fiefdom, showing everyone from peasants to dukes partying and getting it on.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Navarrete reveled with one woman over her husband’s release from a detention facility.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of revel
Verb
  • The old broadcast model of 22 or more episodes a season — which only a handful of sitcoms still enjoy — gave comedies room to find their groove, and then created the kind of legendary shows that viewers still go back and binge.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Hulu offered a 30-day free trial for roughly 16 years, which came in handy for checking out the service and streaming binging its many hit series without paying right away.
    — Oscar Hartzog, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of binge
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
Definition of roister
Verb
  • Some speculate that wassailing predates Christianity in the region; others note its association with the Christian holiday of Twelfth Night.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 24 Dec. 2025
  • 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
Definition of wassail

Browse Nearby Words

birettas
birl
birled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Birl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birl. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All