whirl
Americanverb (used without object)
-
whirls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whirled,
past participle, past
-
whirling
present participle
-
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.
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to feel as though spinning rapidly; reel as from dizziness.
My head began to whirl.
verb (used with object)
-
whirls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
whirled,
past participle, past
-
whirling
present participle
noun
-
whirls
plural
-
the act of whirling; rapid rotation or gyration.
- Synonyms:
- revolution, spin
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a whirling movement; quick turn or swing.
-
a short drive, run, walk, or the like; spin.
-
something that whirls; a whirling current or mass.
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a rapid round of events, affairs, etc..
a whirl of meetings, conferences, and business lunches.
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a state marked by dizziness or a dizzying succession of feelings, thoughts, etc.
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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.
verb
-
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
noun
-
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
-
informal to attempt or give a trial to something
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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whirlernoun
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outwhirlverb (used with object)
-
unwhirledadjective
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whirlingadjective
-
whirlinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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whirlsimple
-
whirlssimple
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have whirledperfect
-
has whirledperfect
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am whirlingprogressive
-
are whirlingprogressive
-
is whirlingprogressive
-
have been whirlingperfect progressive
-
has been whirlingperfect progressive
Past
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whirledsimple
-
had whirledperfect
-
was whirlingprogressive
-
were whirlingprogressive
-
had been whirlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whirl
1250–1300; Middle English whirlen < Old Norse hvirfla to whirl, akin to Old English hwyrflung turning, revolving, hwyrfel circuit; see whorl
Explanation
A whirl is a quick spin, and when something whirls, it rotates fast. You can also use it to mean "a try." Hang-gliding? Snake-charming? "Sure," you say. "I'll give it a whirl." Both whirl and spin are words that mean "turn in circles" but that have also come to mean trying something briefly––you might take a car for a spin or take a turn hiking in the Himalayas. All imply an attitude so free-wheeling, so easy, so devil-may-care that it might make your head spin. Or whirl.
Vocabulary lists containing whirl
English Words Derived from Old Norse
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury (1950)
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
He decided to give classic jerseys a whirl, transforming them into more flattering silhouettes that accentuate a curvy torso.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
But succumbing to the siren song of salt, I left my packed lunch at home to give it a whirl and find out what regularly eating too much salt is doing to our health.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
They whirl, bounce, and collide within their confined space like loose change shaking violently in a machine, moving so quickly and unpredictably that standard scientific tools have struggled to track them.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 19, 2026
During a whirl of recent diplomatic engagements, Takaichi played K-pop on the drums with South Korea's president and snapped selfies with Italy's prime minister, casting herself as hard-working, relatable and a symbol of change.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
With his thoughts still in a whirl he said, “Chad Jensen.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
A better understanding of how fire whirls form and behave could help engineers develop more efficient combustion systems and improve efforts to predict and manage wildfires.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
One of the most promising advantages of fire whirls is speed.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
When the slick became too deep, the fire whirls went out before consuming all of the fuel.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
He stamps his feet, whirls his arms and screams at whichever referee is unlucky enough to be within earshot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Dust whirls would start in the far distance, very pretty to look at as long as they were far away, and swirl until they coated everything brown.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"When I left, I left with nothing," he told AFP, as waiters whirled past carrying steaming plates of traditional Syrian fare.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
When Audrey Flanagan saw the last ball land softly on the opposite side of the net, she whirled around and hugged her partner Giselle Yau, partly in joy and partly in relief.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
In gigantic machine rooms, turbines whirled around the clock.
From New York Times ● Apr. 21, 2024
He also whirled around to break a tackle and kept going to get the Seahawks into field goal range early in the second half.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2023
He whirled to face it, but there was nothing there, nothing but the trees.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
"We opened two containers every day in the yard," he said, sitting in his office beside a whirling fan.
From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026
Distressing images thunder into her head uninvited, whirling around and around until she feels like she is drowning in them.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Jareth peeks at her from between the masked dancers whirling around her, hiding and seeking, smiling gently, for once, as “As the World Falls Down” lilts behind the action.
From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026
Most ingenious of all are the soap bubbles, devised by Mr. Forman, an MIT doctoral student, that drift around the stage as whirling snow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Jagged sheets of metal went whirling through the air.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
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