as in spiraling
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1
as in stirring
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly
kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down
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2
as in rotating
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis
swirled her skirts as she danced the tango
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swirling
Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
After a walk to hit pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa on a full count, Martin replaced Garcia and got a first pitch pop-up from old friend Adolis García that got caught up in the swirling 18-mph wind.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Its swirling indie-pop hooks and jammy prog-rock ideas are practically written with the vision of people dancing around you, their hands raised in the air.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
And with Andrew already under investigation and suggestions that Fergie could come next swirling, that puts the princesses in a complicated position.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Mar. 2026
Stealing a scene later is Will Poulter as a Christie Smith general store manager, styled in head-to-toe green and a swirling shock of hair like a bitchy queen out of Oz.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2026
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
He has not been charged in connection with the shooting, and his lawyer released a statement about rumors swirling about his involvement.
—Larry Seward, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Denuded of vegetation, dry soil can go airborne in pillars of swirling dirt or sun-eclipsing dust storms that coat roads and buildings in sandy grit.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Just a crescent of our planet could be seen illuminated by direct sunlight, revealing white clouds swirling over Australia and Oceana.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Even with Nova Lake rumors swirling and the latest Arrow Lake refresh chips earning high praise, Intel sees benefits in supporting its older-generation hardware as value alternatives.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Rumors began swirling and reached a fever pitch at the town hall.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
After weeks of romance rumors swirling on social media, Batula and Wilson addressed the fan speculation in their joint Instagram statement.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Scientists have now made this possible by creating optical tornadoes (also called optical vortices)—tiny, swirling structures of light inside a microscopic system.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
After a walk to hit pinch-hitter Edmundo Sosa on a full count, Martin replaced Garcia and got a first pitch pop-up from old friend Adolis García that got caught up in the swirling 18-mph wind.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
Its swirling indie-pop hooks and jammy prog-rock ideas are practically written with the vision of people dancing around you, their hands raised in the air.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 24 Mar. 2026
And with Andrew already under investigation and suggestions that Fergie could come next swirling, that puts the princesses in a complicated position.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Mar. 2026
Stealing a scene later is Will Poulter as a Christie Smith general store manager, styled in head-to-toe green and a swirling shock of hair like a bitchy queen out of Oz.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
Indifferent to the swirling pressures around him.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
He has not been charged in connection with the shooting, and his lawyer released a statement about rumors swirling about his involvement.
—Larry Seward, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
Denuded of vegetation, dry soil can go airborne in pillars of swirling dirt or sun-eclipsing dust storms that coat roads and buildings in sandy grit.
—Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2026
Just a crescent of our planet could be seen illuminated by direct sunlight, revealing white clouds swirling over Australia and Oceana.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
Even with Nova Lake rumors swirling and the latest Arrow Lake refresh chips earning high praise, Intel sees benefits in supporting its older-generation hardware as value alternatives.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
Rumors began swirling and reached a fever pitch at the town hall.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
After weeks of romance rumors swirling on social media, Batula and Wilson addressed the fan speculation in their joint Instagram statement.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swirling
Adjective
-
Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Demonstrations broke out over the near-collapse of the rial and spiraling economic conditions but grew to become a larger movement against the regime.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Add celery and mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes.—
Elizabeth Passarella,
Southern Living,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Although Kitty’s intentions are sincere, her mind can obsess over matters like a Gemini, stirring the pot even more.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The latter’s rotating seasonal menu features crudo, chowders, and salads, as well as entrée mainstays like steak, chicken, fish, and pasta.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Its ensemble approach — rotating in high-profile guest stars alongside a deep regular cast — generated acting nominations in virtually every season of its run.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This polka-dot midi skirt is full of flirty details, from its curve-hugging silhouette to its flowy hem that’s made for twirling.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Yalkin’s images give form to memory, transporting us into a twirling state of contemplation.—
Caterina De Biasio,
Vogue,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This particular view of our host galaxy doesn't look directly towards the core, but rather into one of its spiral arms, where countless deep-space objects areshining against the blackness of space.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
When Radu steals €18,000 from Pavel’s office, relationships and ambitions spiral out of control.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Misa is a beautiful skater with some quiet explosiveness and a real knack for weaving, cutting, turning and spinning in control of the puck to either shake defenders under pressure in the offensive or defensive zone or slip past them in transition with his speed and agility.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
After a brief tour, Cohen and I donned motorcycle helmets and went for a ride, spinning through the cobble and paved roads and bike lanes on Infinite Machines’ new e-bike, the Olto.—
Jessica Mathews,
Fortune,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Borgli has nasty fun with that pressure (an obnoxious photographer, played by Zoë Winters, is a highlight), before really twisting the knife with Emma’s big admission.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The latest to join the ranks is nicotinamide mononucleotide—or NMN—a slightly tongue-twisting name that’s been popping up everywhere, especially within celebrity circles.—
Alex Vance,
SELF,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The main performance is scheduled to include aerial acrobatics, bondage, burlesque and drag performers from groups such as The Dragonettes, AKArts Collective and others with hypnotic live looping and vocal music from Morgan Sorne.—
Anne Schrager,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Tight baseline battles, pressure from Shelton and counterattacks from Ruud, using the violent topspin of those big looping forehands.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swirling. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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