whirl
to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly: The merry-go-round whirled noisily.
to turn about or aside quickly: He whirled and faced his pursuers.
to move, travel, or be carried rapidly along: She whirled along the freeway in her new car.
to feel as though spinning rapidly; reel as from dizziness: My head began to whirl.
to cause to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly.
to send, drive, or carry in a circular or curving course.
to drive, send, or carry along with great or dizzying rapidity.
Obsolete. to hurl.
the act of whirling; rapid rotation or gyration.
a whirling movement; quick turn or swing.
a short drive, run, walk, or the like; spin.
something that whirls; a whirling current or mass.
a rapid round of events, affairs, etc.: a whirl of meetings, conferences, and business lunches.
a state marked by dizziness or a dizzying succession of feelings, thoughts, etc.
an attempt or trial, especially one undertaken tentatively or experimentally: Even if you don't agree with my plan, won't you give it a whirl?
Machinery. whip (def. 26).
Origin of whirl
1Other words for whirl
Other words from whirl
- whirl·er, noun
- whirl·ing·ly, adverb
- out·whirl, verb (used with object)
- un·whirled, adjective
Words Nearby whirl
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use whirl in a sentence
Viewers are surrounded by a whirl of images in which it’s impossible to distinguish real from unreal.
This NFT Painting Is a Work of Art - Issue 104: Harmony | Arthur I. Miller | August 18, 2021 | NautilusI think within the next 10 years, we ought to be able to predict where fire whirls are likely to form.
It was a giant fire whirl with winds over 100 miles per hour.
Cambage is a whirl of drop-steps, shoulder shoves and jump hooks, her 6-foot-8 frame affording her whatever space she requires.
A’ja Wilson had a rebirth, Liz Cambage is healthy, and Las Vegas is among the WNBA favorites | Robert O'Connell | May 13, 2021 | Washington PostIt all makes sense in the whirl of Ide’s fate-driven universe.
Joe Ide’s IQ series continues with the idiosyncratic marvel ‘Smoke’ | Maureen Corrigan | February 26, 2021 | Washington Post
The dying are deceived by the chemical whirl of “a dying brain.”
I never lifted a brush before, I never mixed a paint, so I gave it a whirl.
Dubya’s Portraits of Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin Are Just as Genius as You Hoped | Ann Binlot | April 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA whirl of activity on and off the slopes, Kathy heads the local chapter of Disabled Sports, Eastern Sierra region.
Homefront Veterans: Skiing With Wounded Warriors | John Kael Weston | February 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTed Widmer on the whirl of celebrity and policy that dance across the pages.
The Man with the President’s Ear, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and JFK | Ted Widmer | October 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSajed fearlessly slapped on the rollerblades to give them a whirl, and a skater was born.
Then dawn flung itself impetuously across the hills, and the naked rim of the canyon took form in a shifting whirl of smoke.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThey are, however, much less energetic, and often of greater size than the hurricane whirl.
Outlines of the Earth's History | Nathaniel Southgate ShalerThey could revel in the rugged measures of ‘Marmion,’ in the whirl and clatter of the ‘Last Minstrel.’
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanFragments were spun off the whirl of people, bits of BSG uniforms torn off their wearers and tossed like confetti.
The Great Potlatch Riots | Allen Kim LangHer life at this time was a whirl of excitement—excitement of the keenest order—namely, trying on.
With Edged Tools | Henry Seton Merriman
British Dictionary definitions for whirl
/ (wɜːl) /
to spin, turn, or revolve or cause to spin, turn, or revolve
(intr) to turn around or away rapidly
(intr) to have a spinning sensation, as from dizziness, etc
to move or drive or be moved or driven at high speed
the act or an instance of whirling; swift rotation or a rapid whirling movement
a condition of confusion or giddiness: her accident left me in a whirl
a swift round, as of events, meetings, etc
a tumult; stir
informal a brief trip, dance, etc
give something a whirl informal to attempt or give a trial to something
Origin of whirl
1Derived forms of whirl
- whirler, noun
- whirling, adjective
- whirlingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with whirl
see give something a whirl.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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