as in coils
to follow a circular or spiral course
a narrow road spiraling up the mountain to the summit
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Recent Examples of spirals
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
That is, at least until life spirals you into the next higher tier of the lesson.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
Claire Foy plays Helen, who spirals emotionally after the death of her photographer father, Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson).
—Adam Graham, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
Wright plays the overprotective mother Laura Sanderson in the Amazon Prime series, The Girlfriend, who spirals when her son Daniel (Laurie Davidson) brings home his new mysterious girlfriend Cherry (Olivia Cooke).
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
However, the companion star eventually spirals close enough to the black hole to be spaghettified by its immense gravitational influence.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
The Chair Company is an HBO series about a project manager who spirals down a conspiracy rabbit hole after an embarrassing incident at work.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025
Ibsen’s play takes place in George and Hedda’s front room over a two-day period, and the only nighttime debauchery happens offstage at one of Judge Brack’s bachelor parties, which spirals out of control when Lovborg gets into a fight at a brothel and loses his manuscript on the walk back to town.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Russell, for her part, can match Sewell’s intensity without uttering a word, as in a scene where Kate silently unpins her hair while Hal spirals out over Grace’s VP offer.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
Inspired by true events, The Exiles will tell the story of a desperate Westerner who pursues greener pastures in Asia, instead finding greed, rivalry and ego that ultimately spirals into a shocking murder.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Feb. 2026
That is, at least until life spirals you into the next higher tier of the lesson.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 27 Jan. 2026
Claire Foy plays Helen, who spirals emotionally after the death of her photographer father, Alisdair (Brendan Gleeson).
—Adam Graham, Boston Herald, 24 Jan. 2026
Wright plays the overprotective mother Laura Sanderson in the Amazon Prime series, The Girlfriend, who spirals when her son Daniel (Laurie Davidson) brings home his new mysterious girlfriend Cherry (Olivia Cooke).
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
However, the companion star eventually spirals close enough to the black hole to be spaghettified by its immense gravitational influence.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025
The Chair Company is an HBO series about a project manager who spirals down a conspiracy rabbit hole after an embarrassing incident at work.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025
Ibsen’s play takes place in George and Hedda’s front room over a two-day period, and the only nighttime debauchery happens offstage at one of Judge Brack’s bachelor parties, which spirals out of control when Lovborg gets into a fight at a brothel and loses his manuscript on the walk back to town.
—Rory Doherty, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
Russell, for her part, can match Sewell’s intensity without uttering a word, as in a scene where Kate silently unpins her hair while Hal spirals out over Grace’s VP offer.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spirals
Verb
-
Dry all surfaces completely and replace knobs, drip pans, and coils back on the stove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Clip straight across your nail Instead of cutting your nails in an oval shape, cut them straight across to avoid an ingrown nail, which is when the nail curves and grows into your skin.—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Ornate details and curves aplenty were once welcomed in the kitchen, but they're no longer seen as stylish or welcome.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bass also contended in interviews that Crowley failed to inform her of the fire danger presented by forecasted Santa Ana winds, despite those warnings being widely publicized by the National Weather Service and in media reports for days in advance.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
-
West winds 15 to 20 mph, with gusts over 30 mph, will keep fire danger elevated through the afternoon.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Oklahoman,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sydney Sweeney paired her lacy white bra with bouncy Hollywood curls and bright red nails.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Create flawless curls and waves with the CHI Spin N Curl.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
To load the product onto the brush, Barnes swirls the tool into the pan twice and taps it twice to prevent fallout.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The lights are dim and jazzy music swirls the intimate crowd.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This latest chapter doesn’t care about giving you a story, or even adding much to the series’ overall mythology other than dozens of fresh pretzel-logic plot twists.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Ultimately, Franco jettisons his characters for the sake of unearned plot twists that leave the viewer feeling only icky.—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spirals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spirals. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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