swivel

Definition of swivelnext
as in to rotate
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis the cat swiveled one ear to listen to a sound outside swiveled around in his office chair

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 swivel In the bond market, Treasury yields swiveled. Matt Ott, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 Sound collected by a deer’s large, swiveling outer ears is funneled through small, conical ducts into these bulbous structures protecting the middle and inner ears. Jeff Wilson, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026 Multiple engines attached to the wings swivel into vertical and horizontal positions to accommodate a lift like a helicopter and provide forward movement. David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026 And his signature move is still sharp, a collection of swiveling heels, leg twitches and kicks. Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, 8 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for swivel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swivel
Verb
  • For Love in the Time of Cholera, 1989, for instance, Pau uses early Picture-in-Picture (PiP) technology to frame clips from Zuni’s 1988 October/Decameron stage performance, which then float, rotate, and cascade across the screen.
    Pauline J. Yao, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • The collection includes thousands of pieces on rotating exhibit.
    Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • Chevron's refiners swung to a loss of $817 million compared with a profit of $325 million in last year's quarter, due to the lower margins, the timing effects on financial hedges and higher transportation costs.
    Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 1 May 2026
  • But two surprise special election victories in March buoyed Democratic hopes that Florida’s Republicans and independents could swing sharply left this year.
    Shauna Muckle, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • Chicago had to remake its safety depth chart this offseason, and Coby Bryant and Thieneman have turned a potential weakness into a strength.
    Dane Brugler, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The scene at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington turned chaotic, Los Angeles Times reporters wrote, when a man dashed toward the dining area and was met with gunfire.
    Karim Doumar, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Similar to how spiders spin webs on Earth, such robots could effectively 3D-print structures in space.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Apr. 2026
  • My biggest complaint is that while the main narrative does wrap up tidily, the story also spins forward in a way that demands a sequel (which Spufford is already working on).
    John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The night ended with singing from Lido Pimienta, accompanied by a ferocious percussion and some nifty use of a delay pedal which made her voice echo and twist around in the main hall.
    Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 1 May 2026
  • For a second Emily stood there on the porch, twisting up her mouth, as if sucking on the words before speaking them.
    Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • Aaron Gordon sat at his locker twirling the tape from his finger, unable to wrap his head around a stunning 119-114 defeat.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2026
  • But as soon as one flagellar motor reverses direction and starts rotating clockwise, the bundle falls apart; the reverse-twirling filament unravels the braid and puts the cell’s flagellar motors at cross-purposes, kicking the cell around.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Platner had already been pivoting toward the general election, focusing his stump speech more on Collins, while a pro-Collins super PAC has spent $2 million in attack ads against him.
    Julia Terruso, Time, 30 Apr. 2026
  • After playing basketball in college and in the G-League Ignite, O’Neal pivoted to focus on business endeavors.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The aqueous action scenes — cascades of water swirling around aerial charges — should play out nicely on the big screen during the film’s theatrical release.
    Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 1 May 2026
  • The water still trapped within the comet likely formed long before its host star, but 3I/ATLAS was born afterward from a protoplanetary disk of gas and dust that swirled around the star — the same disk where planets form, Salazar Manzano said.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 1 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Swivel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swivel. Accessed 3 May. 2026.

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