1
as in rotation
a rapid turning about on an axis or central point
the whirl of the mechanical ride made him dizzy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
so many changes at once had her all in a whirl
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stir
a state of noisy, confused activity
lost an earring in the whirl of the party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
3
as in to rotate
to move in circles around an axis or center
the gambler held his breath as the roulette wheel whirled
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to speed
to proceed or move quickly
cars whirling by on the highway
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whirl
April White, JSTOR Daily, 20 Jan. 2025
An early Cyber Monday deal is the perfect excuse to give the Hinoki Body Oil a whirl.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 2 Dec. 2024
Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Perseverance, about the size of a car, captured the whirling twisters in January about a month after completing an arduous trek from the bottom of the crater up to its rim.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whirl
Noun
Those who heard the roar of the motors and the whirl of the propellers just after 6 a.m. that day were witnesses to the first flight of, depending on your point of view, either a fanciful and quickly forgotten business venture or one of the world’s most successful marketing gambits.
—April White, JSTOR Daily, 20 Jan. 2025
An early Cyber Monday deal is the perfect excuse to give the Hinoki Body Oil a whirl.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
This is the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) whirling toward Earth that's expected to reach our magnetic field heading into the weekend.
—Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Perseverance, about the size of a car, captured the whirling twisters in January about a month after completing an arduous trek from the bottom of the crater up to its rim.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for whirl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirl
Noun
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An effective Kershaw could help stabilize a Dodger rotation that has once again been scrambled ahead of the team’s three-game series with the Padres, which begins Monday.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
The Trump administration’s move to exclude AP from the White House press pool breaks with a long-standing tradition of the service’s participation in the rotation.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Some of those who chose to evacuate didn’t do so promptly, and there was widespread confusion whether evacuation was necessary at all.—
Rong-Gong Lin II,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
The end result of this copycat strategy was external confusion, internal demoralization, and financial underperformance.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Nintendo caused a slight stir after the Switch 2 reveal.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
5 June 2025
-
The night before the team were due to sail back to Southampton, Great-Uncle Charlie received a call from Neil Franklin, England’s centre-half who had just left Stoke City for Colombia along with George Mountford — two stars of English football causing a huge stir by moving to cash-rich Colombia.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
Noun
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At the time, Buffett had just moved to Key West from Nashville after giving country music a try and had recently divorced his first wife, Margie Washichek.—
Jessica Booth,
People.com,
5 June 2025
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The loss represented the first time the USWNT had lost two times in three tries since its three-game losing streak to England, Spain, and Germany back in 2022.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Scientific objectives include gaining an understanding of the Reiner Gamma swirl mini-magnetosphere region and its magnetic and plasma properties. TBD, 2025: Blue Origin New Glenn carrying Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1), a single-launch, lunar cargo lander that remains on the surface.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 June 2025
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Their most popular is Dirty Barn Shoes – chocolate ice cream with fudge swirl and crushed chocolate cookies.—
Pamela McLoughlin,
Hartford Courant,
7 June 2025
Verb
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The break-up between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is the battle that everyone saw coming, spinning into a tweetstorm of insults, unwanted revelations and surprising outbursts.—
Chris Westfall,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Alas, Bill never calls, and though Jenny spins it as the part of the rom-com where there’s a mix-up before true love prevails, that’s clearly not the case.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
5 June 2025
Verb
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For more formal occasions, she’s also rotated in white sneakers worn with tailored linen separates — a recurring combination that blends practicality with polish.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
7 June 2025
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The museum will also feature rotating contemporary exhibitions from Mexican, Latin American, and female artists.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Even better news is that advancements are achievable: reducing administrative delays speeds up patient care and removes obstacles.—
Yusuf Qasim,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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To speed things along, start sweet potato slips indoors in spring and transplant them into soil amended with compost to give your plants more energy to grow.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirl. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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