- present participle of spiral.
spiraling
Americanadjective
-
in the pattern or shape of a spiral.
-
moving or operating in a spiral pattern.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The most widely accepted astrophysical explanation for this background is a population of supermassive black hole binaries gradually spiraling inward.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Across the UK, council chiefs said budgets were being severely stretched by the spiraling cost of providing care, homelessness services and supporting looked after children as well as providing home to school transport.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
The spiraling debt outlook from funding the war and concerns about “Washington’s lack of fiscal discipline” are weighing on bonds too, said Simon Ballard, chief economist at First Abu Dhabi Bank, in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
“I just thought that episode was really funny and special and weird. Coop and Mel are both spiraling in their own way. They’re kind of parallel spiraling.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
I kept spiraling, and I kept going to the counselor.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
