1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rotated
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 sped
to proceed or move quickly
cars whirling by on the highway
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whirled
The jaguar growled, whirled and bit off the protruding head of the arrow.
—
Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
The journey started as a boy in Chicago, where sirens whirled through Rizzs’ neighborhood when the White Sox won the pennant in 1959.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
In a desperate attempt to protect her baby, the victim whirled around, confronted Aherne and grabbed the knife in the stranger’s hand, her infant child falling from the changing table onto the floor during the scuffle, cops said.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Here it gets whirled with Parmesan and a handful of herbs that take it to the next level.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2025
As a writer-producer on The Shield and then the creator, showrunner, and main writer on Sons of Anarchy, Sutter perfected an ultraviolent blend of sentimentality, nihilism, and masculinity that whirled around his characters like so much cigarette smoke and motorcycle exhaust.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
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
After Smart ran through a checklist and flipped a few switches, the A-Star helicopter's blades whirled to life overhead.
—Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 7 May 2025
Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
The journey started as a boy in Chicago, where sirens whirled through Rizzs’ neighborhood when the White Sox won the pennant in 1959.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2026
In a desperate attempt to protect her baby, the victim whirled around, confronted Aherne and grabbed the knife in the stranger’s hand, her infant child falling from the changing table onto the floor during the scuffle, cops said.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Here it gets whirled with Parmesan and a handful of herbs that take it to the next level.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Dec. 2025
As a writer-producer on The Shield and then the creator, showrunner, and main writer on Sons of Anarchy, Sutter perfected an ultraviolent blend of sentimentality, nihilism, and masculinity that whirled around his characters like so much cigarette smoke and motorcycle exhaust.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
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
After Smart ran through a checklist and flipped a few switches, the A-Star helicopter's blades whirled to life overhead.
—Daniel Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 7 May 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirled
Verb
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The prewar decline in mortgage rates stirred hopes of a robust spring selling season.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Plato briefly stirred to life to announce that there had never been such a thing as a Department of Education, then shut back down.—
Alexandra Petri,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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During rehearsals, members of the cast, which also includes Luke Evans, Juliette Lewis, and Rachel Dratch, had held a séance in the mezzanine, trying to contact some of those who had twirled under the room’s giant disco ball in times past—Prince, the drag queen Divine.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
During the silence, a little girl twirled on the tile floor by the stage.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With the holiday rotated among her siblings' homes, each year brought new hunting grounds and places for the colorful plastic eggs to be hidden.—
Will Richmond,
The Providence Journal,
28 Mar. 2026
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First-year Current head coach Chris Armas rotated his side heavily in KC’s previous loss, a 3-0 setback against Seattle.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Remedios, who was driving at 81 mph in a 40 mph zone, sped through a red light, according to his arrest report.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
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Last week a 7-ton meteor sped across the Ohio sky in a fireball that could be seen from several states away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The state and the economic alliance forged ahead, the development letter of intent transferring to Sandisk after Western Digital spun it into a separate public company.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
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The American band’s 1996 debut spun indie pop gold from heartache and secondhand Hammond organ.—
David Glickman,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The team's lease at the American Airlines Center is set to expire in 2031, and while speculation has swirled about a potential relocation, Mavericks CEO Rick Welts made clear during a recent sports economic panel that the organization intends to remain in the city.—
Erin Jones,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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New York City has denied another request for data about the toxins that swirled above Ground Zero after 9/11 — claiming nothing could be found — despite the discovery of 68 boxes worth of information on the subject just four months ago, the Daily News has learned.—
Thomas Tracy,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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My dad glanced behind us once to see if we were being followed, winked at me in the rearview mirror, and then swung our car toward Interstate 80, headed west.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Then the pendulum swung and strength training came into vogue in the ’90s and 2000s as more research emerged suggesting that lifting could help improve bone health and prevent osteoporosis, Petrzela says.—
Caitlin Carlson,
SELF,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley will return as Simon Williams and Trevor Slattery, the respective super-powered actor and ex-terrorist-thespian around which the show revolved.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
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City records going back to 2017, released to The Bee, in August show Karl Lysinger’s problems with the city revolved initially around his refusal to buy its water.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
18 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whirled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirled. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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