swirl

1 of 2

verb

swirled; swirling; swirls

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move with an eddying or whirling motion
swirling water
b
: to pass in whirling confusion
2
: to have a twist or convolution

transitive verb

: to cause to swirl
swirled her drink
swirlingly adverb

swirl

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
b
: whirling confusion
a swirl of events
2
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern
3
: an act or instance of swirling

Examples of swirl in a Sentence

Verb The water swirled around the drain. kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down Noun A swirl of smoke rose from the chimney. He painted swirls of color on the canvas. ice cream with chocolate swirls
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Rumors surrounding a revival of The Office have swirled for years. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 May 2024 Beyond its mental effects, he was immediately drawn to the aesthetics — swirling colors, optical illusions and surreal depictions of cognition — associated with it. Renée Reizman, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for swirl 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swirl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of swirl was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near swirl

Cite this Entry

“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 14 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

swirl

1 of 2 noun
1
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
2
: whirling confusion
lost in the swirl of events
3
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern

swirl

2 of 2 verb
1
: to move with or pass in a swirl
2
: to be marked with or arranged in swirls
3
: to cause to swirl
swirlingly
ˈswər-liŋ-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on swirl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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