whirled

past tense of whirl
1
as in stirred
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly whirled the chocolate syrup into the milk with a spoon

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2
as in twirled
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis the figure skater whirled his partner with effortless grace

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3
4
5
as in spun
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around my mind whirled from all of the excitement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 whirled After a Joey Estes fastball came near his head, Robles whirled around and chucked his bat at the pitcher. Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025 Between events, Diamandis whirled around, making and cementing connections. Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirled
Verb
  • Two developments in 1976 had stirred interest in searching for undersea freshwater.
    Rodrique Ngowi, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • All this has stirred some fresh thinking among Democrats about whether activists must demand that candidates agree with all of their positions, or whether victory demands more flexibility.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Two go-go dancers twirled on a bar behind them.
    Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
  • In one dugout, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner twirled changeups and heaved fastballs, asserting his dominance once again.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The tournament’s first weekend alone has seen sneakers, sandals and heels rotated courtside, positioning footwear as central to its off-court spotlight.
    Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Once the screen’s fully rotated into portrait mode, the image adjusts accordingly.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • On a recent August morning, several unmarked SUVs with tinted windows sped to the curb outside a Home Depot in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles.
    Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Halsey was the one who turned the key in the ignition and sped off.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Tales are spun and then immediately tied back up into knots, and its gothic drama provides a fresh new place for Johnson to play in his preferred genre.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Meer took the snap, rolled to his right and spun away from the pressure.
    David Delgado, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • While conspiracy theories swirled online about his death, Trump himself even retweeted a conspiracy theory connecting Clinton to Epstein's death.
    Martha McHardy Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Trade speculation has swirled around Crosby for about five years now.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For a locker room that’s been through a lot because the front office swung and missed on the worst quarterback trade in NFL history.
    Zac Jackson, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Busta also received an assist from Papoose and Joyner Lucas, all of them sharing lyrical wordplay and seamless tradeoffs as Busta swung between his trademark dichotomy of rapping to gruff bellowing.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • For her take on enduring Grease style, Bieber revolved her going-out look around a boxy moto jacket—one of her signature wardrobe staples.
    Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2025
  • At first, the drone business revolved mainly around film crews and hobbyists.
    Adam Sarhan, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Whirled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirled. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

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