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
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Recent Examples of spiral
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
That ease is exactly what had people in the comments spiraling.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
The exhibit will explore how energy shapes day-to-day life and the world at large and how energy will shape tomorrow, and will feature a spiral slide back down to the main floor.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Intrusive thoughts provoke an anxious spiral as the moon and Saturn oppose.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Verb
But instead of prioritizing touching the paint then spraying the ball out to an open shooter, the Knicks have spiraled into iso-ball, over-dribbling and tough shots.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
That ease is exactly what had people in the comments spiraling.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Completed by Robert Smithson in 1970, the counterclockwise spiral stretches 1,500 feet long and 15 feet wide.
—Maya Silver, Outside, 20 Jan. 2026
The exhibit will explore how energy shapes day-to-day life and the world at large and how energy will shape tomorrow, and will feature a spiral slide back down to the main floor.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Noun
These wars, along with the Bush tax cuts, started the budget deficit spiral that continues to this day.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2026
Intrusive thoughts provoke an anxious spiral as the moon and Saturn oppose.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiral
Verb
-
In a departure from past practice, some competitions, notably curling and ice hockey, will begin preliminary rounds on February 4 and 5, in advance of the official opening ceremony, due to the tight schedule.—
Sam Leveridge,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
On the wintry end of things, curling returned as a medal event, after a 74-year hiatus, at the 1998 Nagano Games, which also marked the debut of snowboarding.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What happened next – her death 21 years later and Wilson's application to seal his criminal record 37 years later – are all part of a long and winding case before the Ohio Supreme Court on Jan. 7.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
The Columbus Dispatch,
5 Jan. 2026
-
More broadly, its long and winding path back into the spotlight is a reminder that preparedness depends not only on scientific breakthroughs, but on whether those breakthroughs are carried forward before opportunity is lost.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The new restaurant Mistura debuted this year and it is set under a beautiful palapa that curves right out onto the beach.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Meghan Trainor—a pop star who was best known for celebrating her curves, then received widespread backlash for trimming down—plays a character who’s thrown out of the window of a skyscraper.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Coil the Hose Keep your hose in good condition for the coming year by coiling it in large, loose loops to avoid kinks.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
31 Dec. 2025
-
The lights, neatly coiled last January, have evolved into a glowing knot of holiday resentment.—
Mark Glende,
Twin Cities,
24 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Done well, this would create a more circular music economy, reinvesting value back into the places where the creative work originates.—
Shain Shapiro,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
High-octane glamour is delivered by servers in glittering jumpsuits worthy of an Abba reunion and a huge circular amber bar, fashioned in the shape of an old whiskey tumbler found in the walls of Raffles Singapore during renovations.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
The Eastern & Oriental Express, a Belmond train, is back after a hiatus, winding through Malaysia’s tropical rainforests, while Japan’s Seven Stars Kyushu grants reservations via a lottery system, so sought-after is the opulent train.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Fishing line was wound around her right flipper and ran into her mouth.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The two twisted helical stair stringers that support the treads are the structural beams that support the stairs and anyone going up and down them.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
3 Jan. 2026
-
The team designed a soft, airless wheel that features elastic steel strips in a woven, crossed-helical pattern.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiral. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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