swirls 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of swirl
1
as in stirs
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in twirls
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis swirled her skirts as she danced the tango

Synonyms & Similar Words

swirls

2 of 2

noun

plural of swirl

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 swirls
Verb
Max Martin, Grande sings of blowing through breakups and make-ups and enduring mounting exhaustion with mass notoriety while the music swirls patiently and frequently angrily underneath. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026 The galaxy's heart shines brightly in the image, with gleaming rays of light radiating from its center while gas and dust swirls around. Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 19 May 2026 Longoria’s approach to the wild fervour that continually swirls around the Velodrome was to try to harness it by hiring comparably combustible coaches like Jorge Sampaoli, Igor Tudor, Gennaro Gattuso and De Zerbi. Tom Williams, New York Times, 17 May 2026 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 Energy has had a tremendous five-year run, but investors have been cautious in 2025 as uncertainty swirls around policymakers. Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
Such a beautiful sculpture, mimicking the swirls found in nature (the cosmos, shells, Fibonacci-following topiary) felt a far cry from the swirl of emotions prompted by my favorite TV shows. Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swirls
Verb
  • Refusing to do so, Luis stirs a rivalry and potentially endangers his own employment.
    Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
  • While dealing with an impending counterattack from Oda, Murashige finds that trouble stirs in his own courts as mysterious deaths, from a child prisoner to other officials, end up mysteriously murdered.
    Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 27 July 2026
Verb
  • Inside, Benjamin Davalos twirls his measuring jigger and, with a turn of his wrist, releases a swallow’s worth of straight rye.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
  • With smoke streaming from his mouth and nose, McTominay twirls the delighted older man around.
    Ed Caesar, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
Noun
  • Tzikas pointed to the San Juan Rapids, Clay Banks and Sailor Bar areas as those with stronger currents and eddies that can throw individuals from their rafts and paddleboards or submerge them before shooting them rapidly downstream.
    Reeti Malhotra July 10, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
  • Convection involves turbulent eddies of warm air rising from the ground into the atmosphere above, and latent heat involves the absorption or release of energy from a phase change without the temperature changing.
    Trey Fulbright, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Griffin diligently washes his hands after his dogs lick them, especially before picking up a slice of pizza.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Rain often washes those chemicals and fertilizers into nearby rivers and streams.
    Jayash Paudel, The Conversation, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • The best viewing is generally after midnight, when Earth rotates into debris left by Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle.
    Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Sacramento’s luxury suite at Golden 1 Center, obtained as part of $225 million in public financing for the arena, rotates among nonprofits through a city program.
    Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Make sure to ask for appetizers, be left off, as neither the crab rangoon or rolls are gluten-free.
    Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The designers get one hour to experiment with dyeing the paper towels, which are presented to them in yard-wide uncut rolls.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • These events occur when extremely hot underground water suddenly turns into steam, expands, and blasts apart the surrounding rock.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Find out what the bill does when one workflow triples its tool calls after a model upgrade, because that is the scenario that turns a modest platform fee into a line item the CFO wants explained.
    Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Bikes for teens Teens often crave more independence on two wheels, whether for school commutes or longer weekend rides.
    ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This example is finished in Whitest White over a red and white leather interior and rides on a set of BBS Forged Graphite wheels.
    Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Swirls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swirls. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on swirls

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