as in coiling
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as in curled
to follow a circular or spiral course
a vine coiling around a pillar
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of coiled
Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Overnight, the smoke coiled upward and gave way to acid rain that stained the city black.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
These widows were little sparrows and Ma Binney a hawk, her hair long and cloud white with the end of her braid coiled into the breast pocket of her jacket.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
In youth, the structure is tightly coiled; with time, secondary notes—violet, cedar, cigar box—surface as the wine broadens.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
The form recalls the work’s titular gastropod—massive, coiled, immobilized by its own weight.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Sula’s head rested on her arm, an undone braid coiled around her wrist.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
In 2017 Dikansh Parmar of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany, rescued an Indian cobra (Naja naja) coiled around a train’s window bars that was hissing and, understandably, frightening passengers.
—Richard Kemeny, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
The lights, neatly coiled last January, have evolved into a glowing knot of holiday resentment.
—Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025
Verb
By now, the mind-altering powers coiled in these devices are evident.
—Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Overnight, the smoke coiled upward and gave way to acid rain that stained the city black.
—Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
These widows were little sparrows and Ma Binney a hawk, her hair long and cloud white with the end of her braid coiled into the breast pocket of her jacket.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
In youth, the structure is tightly coiled; with time, secondary notes—violet, cedar, cigar box—surface as the wine broadens.
—Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
The form recalls the work’s titular gastropod—massive, coiled, immobilized by its own weight.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
Sula’s head rested on her arm, an undone braid coiled around her wrist.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
In 2017 Dikansh Parmar of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change in Germany, rescued an Indian cobra (Naja naja) coiled around a train’s window bars that was hissing and, understandably, frightening passengers.
—Richard Kemeny, Scientific American, 6 Feb. 2026
The lights, neatly coiled last January, have evolved into a glowing knot of holiday resentment.
—Mark Glende, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coiled
Verb
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Not only is this location remote and hard to reach, but curled rattlesnakes and tarantulas lurk in nooks.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
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Her hair was curled into subtle Old Hollywood waves by Rena Calhoun using products from Hair Rituel by Sisley Paris and tools from Mane.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Given how baseball thrives off nostalgia, spiral foul poles don’t exactly fit.—
Abbey Mastracco,
Hartford Courant,
23 Mar. 2026
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Its rampant star formation was triggered in part by the gravitational influence exerted by the nearby galaxy NGC 5195, the glowing core of which can be seen shining at one end of the Whirlpool Galaxy's great spiral structure.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The cosmos has three possible geometries—positively curved like a sphere, flat like an infinite plane or negatively curved like a saddle—but geometry alone doesn’t determine shape.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
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The rear of the speaker is smartly curved to better hug your body when it is slung over your shoulder, too.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Demonstrations broke out over the near-collapse of the rial and spiraling economic conditions but grew to become a larger movement against the regime.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Scientists have now made this possible by creating optical tornadoes (also called optical vortices)—tiny, swirling structures of light inside a microscopic system.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Mar. 2026
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Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.—
Ben Kelly,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The main performance is scheduled to include aerial acrobatics, bondage, burlesque and drag performers from groups such as The Dragonettes, AKArts Collective and others with hypnotic live looping and vocal music from Morgan Sorne.—
Anne Schrager,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Feb. 2026
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Tight baseline battles, pressure from Shelton and counterattacks from Ruud, using the violent topspin of those big looping forehands.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coiled. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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