spire

noun

Definition of spirenext
as in spiral

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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 spire Chimney Rock State Park, North Carolina A 315-foot granite rock spire serves as the centerpiece of this state park near Asheville. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026 On July 1, Russian daredevils climbed to the tip of the building's spire before getting engaged, and then arrested. — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026 The two daredevils who scaled the spire of the Empire State Building while the world watched have been grounded by the New York Police Department and are now the targets of a criminal investigation. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 3 July 2026 Police personnel respond to a report of two people climbing the spire atop the Empire State Building in New York City, on July 1, 2026. — Chad De Guzman, Time, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for spire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spire
  1. spiral
  2. whorl
  3. coil
  4. hank
  5. curl
Noun
  • In Proserpina, eleven vertical yellow wooden rods, enrobed in layers of gray and maroon wire netting, increase in length around a wire-mesh spiral that reaches three feet at its tallest point.
    — Nicole Rudick, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Fed officials have emphasized that wages are not a significant source of inflation, with the lack of evidence of a wage-price spiral an important distinction when calibrating policy.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of spiral
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
Noun
  • For a decade, hundreds of Black women and girls have gathered in Kansas City wearing curls, coils, locs, braids and Afros for an annual photograph intended to challenge narrow ideas about what beautiful hair is supposed to look like.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • According to iSense, the air cylinders adjust the feel of the comfort layer while the coil system underneath is designed to provide support.
    — Malana VanTyler, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of coil
Noun
  • Kim lets out a sob and a hank of Natalie’s hair clings to her tears.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
  • There was no one else on the strand, the surf a sickly yellow foam bubbling between the matted black hanks of seaweed heaped on the beach.
    — Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Apr. 2022
Definition of hank
Noun
  • For a decade, hundreds of Black women and girls have gathered in Kansas City wearing curls, coils, locs, braids and Afros for an annual photograph intended to challenge narrow ideas about what beautiful hair is supposed to look like.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Underneath, Nicks let her natural curls run wild, cascading down her back and shoulders.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of curl

Browse Nearby Words

spirals
spire
spired
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Cite this Entry

“Spire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spire. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on spire

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about spire

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