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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of spiral
Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
The journey to an RV For Stitt’s family, a medical emergency set off the rapid financial spiral that led them to an RV.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Gregg Ward, executive director at The Center for Respectful Leadership, told Newsweek that such disputes can quickly spiral if handled poorly.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The resulting look was a volume-packed, fluffy head of tiny spiral curls that could be dramatically teased.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Verb
That means health crises for the newly uninsured could lead them, too, into a spiral of medical debt.
—Rae Ellen Bichell, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
The journey to an RV For Stitt’s family, a medical emergency set off the rapid financial spiral that led them to an RV.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
The film, which stars Joel Edgerton in a supporting turn, follows a socially awkward tween who is forced to endure a ruthless hierarchy at a water polo camp, causing his anxiety to spiral into psychological turmoil over one summer.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Gregg Ward, executive director at The Center for Respectful Leadership, told Newsweek that such disputes can quickly spiral if handled poorly.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
Kids ages three and up will love all the special touches such as a huge three-story spiral slide, pool, dedicated pet area with its own slide and a working elevator.
—Nora Colomer
May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The resulting look was a volume-packed, fluffy head of tiny spiral curls that could be dramatically teased.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiral
Verb
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And behind the closed door, after the party is over, I am curled in a ball trying to will myself into normalcy again.—
Via Harvest Books,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
-
In the second half, a quick free kick from Roldan sprung Wright down the right channel, and Wright cut back into his left foot and curled the ball cleanly inside the far post.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Thake took a long and winding trip down the memories of South Yorkshire football, a path which eventually led him to the living room of a shy, almost reclusive Rotherham man called Terry Moran.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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The Didi and Gogo that Sparks and Shannon created were full of blood and bile, real people with — no matter how obscured in its details by time and circumstance — a long and winding relationship.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The curve is designed to boost up your head so your neck and shoulders have extra support.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
17 Oct. 2025
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Global warming is adding a curve ball in how mills forecast summer seasons.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Anyway, because of the *slightly* complex situation with the aneurysm (nothing bad, just not typical), it wasn’t coiled that weekend.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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Photos from the organization show the python safely coiled on a white towel after it had been brought in.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Add a dab of dish soap to the stain, then use a toothbrush to gently scrub the fibers in a circular motion to remove the grease.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
13 Oct. 2025
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As the mechanism is based on a circular redox system, AGXX technology is not consumed but continuously regenerated.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
13 Oct. 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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In 2024, the Ig Nobel Prize in anatomy went to an international team of scientists for their discovery that scalp hair whorls are more likely to spiral in a counter-clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere compared with the Northern Hemisphere.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Wolff himself had a winding career before becoming top brass for Mercedes’ F1 team.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
18 Oct. 2025
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That first trip began in Miami and wound north toward Big Talbot Island, Lake Apopka, and the Wekiva River.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At night, the helical patterns look adorned with ribbons of LED lighting, transforming the bridge into a shimmering sculpture that reflects in the waters below.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Oct. 2025
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Any irregularity or jagged appearance in the helical area typically reflects changes in the shape or integrity of the cartilage beneath.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiral. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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