twirling

verb

present participle of twirl
1
as in rotating
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair around her finger

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in revolving
to move in circles around an axis or center an ice-skater twirling in place

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 twirling On any other man, this level of villainy could be mustache-twirling and cartoonish. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026 The mustache-twirling villain flees, both Half-ATs and full-on AT-AT Walkers come into play, and our hero and Grogu finish the job. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026 Stephens never plays a mustache-twirling sadist, instead carrying himself with the unbearable confidence of a man truly convinced that his version of abuse and even murder is civilized. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 May 2026 Emmet Sheehan turned in perhaps his best start of the season Thursday, twirling six innings against the San Francisco Giants. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 16 May 2026 Wow, Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) is a mustache-twirling villain right from the jump! — William Earl, Variety, 15 May 2026 The flowers of Love-in-a-Mist look like ballerina’s skirts twirling in the breeze. — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 12 May 2026 Hands stretched, twirling as if being spun about. — ‘pemi Aguda, Literary Hub, 6 May 2026 These problems are so much more than any one mustache-twirling villain could ever hope to be. — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twirling
  1. rotating
  2. revolving
  3. spinning
  4. twisting
  5. turning
  6. swirling
  7. whirling
Verb
  • Hold the corn, tip down, in the bowl, and using a sharp knife, cut straight down between the kernels and the cob, cutting as close to the cob as possible and rotating the ear about a quarter turn after each cut.
    — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • The rotating carousel completes one revolution every 60 minutes to indicate the minutes, while the hours are displayed by a pointer mounted on a rotating disc.
    — Anthony DeMarco, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of rotating
Verb
  • The innovation used a revolving cylinder and a reversible wringer to separate and clean clothing.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
  • For those carrying tens of thousands of dollars in revolving debt, those interest charges can make the repayment process feel like a moving target.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Definition of revolving
Verb
  • This mixture is pushed through an extruder to form tiny, sprinkle-like cylinders, which are then tumbled in a rapidly spinning chamber to round them into near-spherical particles.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
  • The actual bill showed what happened when every department and developer started spinning up compute and storage without anyone tracking aggregate spend.
    — Andi Mann, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Definition of spinning
Verb
  • When the Bosnian defender planted his right leg below Balogun’s right foot, the American inadvertently stomped on his right ankle, twisting it awkwardly.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Clark survived that threat of twisting her ankle.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026
Definition of twisting
Verb
  • Mike Gansey and the Philadelphia 76ers don’t have an inkling which way the LeBron James leaves are turning.
    — Tony Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • That volatility mirrors the album’s overall mood and thematic POV; TOY COLLAGES feels like one big, bad trip, Dean careening through the existential delusions of those around them before turning toward their own.
    — Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 13 July 2026
Definition of turning
Verb
  • James might not have been as interested in joining the Cavaliers with that drama swirling around them.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • Or just a phase, as audiences and designers reflect the culture swirling around them?
    — Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 6 July 2026
Definition of swirling
Verb
  • For much of the past week, all that Colombia had been able to agree upon was the pre-eminence of Luis Diaz, who remained a whirling dervish throughout the match as his side’s outstanding player.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • That’s the question that has been whirling around Hollywood since the news broke that Amazon MGM Studios was dropping the feature just months after Amazon entered into a $50 billion investment with Sam Altman’s OpenAI.
    — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 23 June 2026
Definition of whirling

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twirled
twirling
twirls
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Cite this Entry

“Twirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twirling. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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