spiral 1 of 3

verb

Definition of spiralnext
as in to curl
to follow a circular or spiral course a narrow road spiraling up the mountain to the summit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spiral

2 of 3

adjective

ˈspī-rəl How to pronounce spiral (audio)
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

spiral

3 of 3

noun

as in curve

Related 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 spiral
Verb
Ana and Andy Fischer didn’t know what else to do about their spiraling teenage son Daniel. — Jeff Winter, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026 Amid the mounting scrutiny, major operators like DraftKings have pushed back, arguing that their responsible gaming system provides adequate safeguards to protect their customers from spiraling out of control. — Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 26 Sep. 2026
Adjective
The second was from 2014, tucked inside a spiral notebook under a couch cushion and consisting of only four pages. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Sep. 2026 Turn the knife in a spiral motion until the flesh has been separated. — Cate Huguelet, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Noun
But that situation, which may have sent some new brides into a spiral, did not shake Barbara. — Genevieve Uzamere, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2026 Ascending the museum’s spiral from the ground floor, the unnamed agent’s recollections unfold in forty-two chronological chapters illustrated with photographic, video, and sculptural installations. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spiral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiral
  1. curl
  2. winding
  3. curve
  4. coil
  5. circular
  6. whorl
  7. wind
  8. helical
Verb
  • After the break, Croatia's defense was sliced open again on a quick break and Elliot Anderson curled in a cross from the right and Kane slid in at the back post for a poacher's finish.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Sand-like granules collecting in gutters, curling or missing shingles, brittle or cracking shingles, sagging sections and indoor leaks or ceiling stains are the standard indicators that a roof is failing.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of curl
Adjective
  • Every floor and room is dedicated to specific watch brands and timepieces, featuring bespoke details like watch-hand door handles and winding-crown faucet handles, all crafted by Florentine artisans.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As such, the show takes you on a winding journey of France’s influential craftsmanship and its impact on America via archival looks, dazzling objects, and more modern creations.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 29 May 2026
Definition of winding
Noun
  • In my view, the government must get ahead of that curve by establishing a full-fledged Department of AI, rather than leaving it to a single individual.
    — Yerbol Orynbayev, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The more exaggerated interpretations, with oversized collars that swallow the chin or heavy embellishment, are the ones most at risk of looking dated once the search curve bends.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of curve
Verb
  • Its body will coil around the museum’s gallery, lobby and atrium, and poke through the walls.
    — Siran Babayan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • This tendril-like bot can coil around other structures like a vine.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of coil
Adjective
  • On a circular track, place a group of runners, all of whom run at unique, constant speeds.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The secret to this quiet performance is a bottom-up airflow design that draws cool ambient air through an intake ring at the edge of the circular base and then up through the heat-generating hardware.
    — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of circular
Noun
  • Visually, the result was a restlessly fluctuating Technicolor whorl.
    — Max Norman, New Yorker, 25 June 2026
  • Blue, purple, or white whorls of flowers rise above the strappy foliage in summer.
    — Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 5 May 2026
Definition of whorl
Verb
  • Golf carts shuttle guests around the property, which is more compact than the winding lanes convey, not to mention perfectly laid out.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Upon landing, the craft passively self-rights and transitions its dual wingsails to wind propulsion without active morphing, achieving a high 91 percent effective mass usage across air and water.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of wind
Adjective
  • After testing roughly 40 prototypes, Brown settled on the final design, featuring patent-pending semi-helical geometry.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • So what to us may look like a distinctive left-twisting helical structure is actually the result of these two layers of fibrils oriented in opposite directions.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of helical

Browse Nearby Words

spiny
spiral
spiraled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiral. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on spiral

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spiral

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of regimen

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

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

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All