circling 1 of 2

adjective

as in swirling

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circling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of circle
1
as in surrounding
to form a circle around everyone circled the lectern and waited their turn to read from the Bible

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in orbiting
to travel completely around with a look of extreme frustration, the commander circled the new recruit

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 circling
Verb
The Wonsleys and Wells’ coach went out to Horn Island early that morning, circling the island by boat and walking on shore trying to find the teenager. — Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026 And apparently, some of the locals are already circling the competition venues. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 Michael Johnston is circling his first big role following Obsession becoming a box office juggernaut. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 27 July 2026 Any brand watching the next mega‑event after this FIFA World Cup should assume there’s a second economy circling the core spectacle and design for it on purpose. — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 The pilots in the Delta Boeing 737 saw the potential collision and aborted their landing, eventually circling the airport before safely touching down. — Aaron Cooper, CNN Money, 23 July 2026 Astronomers now believe that there is at least one planet circling virtually every existing star. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 22 July 2026 With the black vultures circling, the next cycle of births appeared imminent. — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026 The East Palo Alto Police Department posted a separate video from the rescue that shows the dog swimming furiously with seagulls circling overhead and firefighters scooping him out of the murky water and swaddling him in towels. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circling
  1. swirling
  2. surrounding
  3. orbiting
  4. spiral
  5. encircling
  6. traversing
  7. spiraling
  8. crossing
Adjective
  • Battered cars with numbers sprayed on their sides are whipping around the dirt track of the Lebanon Valley Speedway, loose fenders flopping like overgrown bangs in the swirling dust.
    — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Known as Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, or KHI, the swirling patterns could explain enduring solar mysteries, such as why the sun’s corona, or outer atmosphere, is much hotter than its surface.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of swirling
Verb
  • Research among American surgeons has shown that work-home conflict is strongly associated with burnout and emotional distress​, suggesting that the conflict surrounding demanding schedules may be more consequential than the schedules themselves.
    — Alexandra Kharazi, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Progressive Democratic politicians have won major electoral victories across the country in recent months amid growing frustrations surrounding inequality, affordability and potential threats to job security posed by artificial intelligence.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
Definition of surrounding
Verb
  • So the 8,800-pound (4,000 kilograms) rocket body remained up there, orbiting Earth — until solar activity and gravitational forces pushed it on a collision course for the moon.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Others are colder than the empty vacuum of space, while a few wander the galaxy without orbiting a single star.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of orbiting
Adjective
  • Driving home, sadness and certainty and excitement spiral together like a beautiful shell in my chest.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • One of her favorites to use is a metal spiral stake, which doesn’t require the use of any clips at all.
    — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 18 July 2026
Definition of spiral
Verb
  • Champions Nigeria enter with 10 stars encircling the crest on their jerseys, having won 10 of the previous 13 WAFCONs, and looking to add an 11th.
    — Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • The stone is halo-set on a pavé band—jewelry lingo for having a ring of small white diamonds encircling the stone and covering the band.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 21 July 2026
Definition of encircling
Verb
  • His adventures traversing a broken land of haunted people and animals may be less the stuff of future myth and more about trauma, but Yoon brilliantly creates voices for human and canine that make both more whole.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • The Leadville 100 Trail Run is an extremely challenging, high-alpine endurance race renowned for not only traversing 100 miles but also scaling a collective 14,000 vertical feet.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 31 July 2026
Definition of traversing
Adjective
  • Aside from a spiraling Wanda, there was also an onslaught of high-profile cameos, which almost felt like fandom wish fulfillment designed to keep us entertained when Wanda wasn’t around.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
  • The basic idea is that when anxiety spikes, pulling out a few sensory-engaging items can stave off panic by interrupting spiraling thoughts.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of spiraling
Verb
  • The proposal stated that military or civilian cargo linked to Israeli vessels and other entities deemed to have damaged Iran would be banned from crossing until paying compensation.
    — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The path of totality — in which the moon completely covers the sun — begins over the Arctic Ocean, before crossing eastern Greenland, western Iceland and northern Spain.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of crossing

Browse Nearby Words

circlets
circling
circuit
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Cite this Entry

“Circling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circling. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on circling

Nglish: Translation of circling for Spanish Speakers

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