swirl

[ swurl ]

verb (used without object)

1. to move around or along with a whirling motion; whirl; eddy.
2. to be dizzy or giddy, as the head.

   Synonyms: spin, reel

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to whirl; twist.

noun

1. a swirling movement; whirl; eddy.
2. a twist, as of hair around the head or of trimming on a hat.
3. any curving, twisting line, shape, or form.
4. confusion; disorder.

swirl

/ swɜːl /

verb

1. to turn or cause to turn in a twisting spinning fashion
2. intr to be dizzy; swim

   my head was swirling

noun

1. a whirling or spinning motion, esp in water
2. a whorl; curl
3. the act of swirling or stirring
4. dizzy confusion

Derived Forms

• ˈswirlingly, adverb
• ˈswirling, adjective
• ˈswirly, adjective

Other Words From

• swirling·ly adverb
• outswirl verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of swirl¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (north) < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian svirla; cognate with Dutch zwirrelen to whirl, German (dial.) schwirrlen to totter; all < a root *swir- (whence Danish svirre to whirl, German schwirren to whir) + -l- frequentative suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of swirl¹

C15: probably from Dutch zwirrelen; related to Norwegian svirla, German schwirren

Example Sentences

Another strong offering is “Wave Relief,” a wall piece whose incised, blue-tinted swirls are the show’s closest thing to representational imagery.

From Washington Post

The stuffed breast slices up with a swirl of cranberry throughout.

From Washington Post

Because the sanding disk travels in a random elliptical motion, it won’t leave swirl patterns on surfaces and it isn’t as affected by the direction of the wood grain.

From Popular-Science

HSBC now risks being caught in deepening turmoil after a swirl of trouble over the past year amid political unrest and an economic slump in its biggest market, Hong Kong.

From Fortune

Of course since 2018, there’s been a swirl of new ways to go public.

From Fortune

Hana seeks refuge from the buzzing lights of Otome Road in a nearby café and makes another swirl with her straw.

From The Daily Beast

Rumors swirl as Robert Downey Jr. confirms a return to the role that made the Marvel Universe.

From The Daily Beast

Tales still swirl about the strange forest ruins and mysterious happenings that have occurred around Gedi.

From The Daily Beast

Rumors swirl that pay equity or her management style are to blame.

From The Daily Beast

Thousands of people are posting videos on YouTube while they gargle and swirl oil in their mouths.

From The Daily Beast

But here was one mighty wave that was always itself, and every fluted swirl of it, constant as the wreathing of a shell.

From Project Gutenberg

He knew that Myra had been carried this way and that in the great, cruel, indifferent swirl that was life.

From Project Gutenberg

What if the dust did swirl up in blinding sheets from the south?

From Project Gutenberg

The swirl of the current swept him into the shallower stream below.

From Project Gutenberg

He was trapped in a blinding swirl of radiance, with darkness above it.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• boil
• churn
• roil
• twirl
• whirl