gyration

American  

[jahy-rey-shuhn] / dʒaɪˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of gyrating; circular or spiral motion; revolution; rotation; whirling.

---

gyration British  

/ dʒaɪˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of gyrating; rotation

2. any one of the whorls of a spiral-shaped shell

---

Other Word Forms

• gyrational adjective

Etymology

Origin of gyration

First recorded in 1605–15, gyration is from the Late Latin word gȳrātiōn- (stem of gȳrātiō ). See gyrate, -ion

Explanation

The act of turning quickly in a circle is gyration. The gyration of a whirling amusement park ride might leave your head spinning long after you get off. A hula hoop whiz is an expert at gyration, whirling the hoops around their hips, arms, and legs (maybe all at once — that's a lot of gyration!). This kind of fast, circular movement is what gyration is all about, from an old verb, gyre, "rotate or revolve." In math, a gyration is a very specific type of rotation. When a sphere rotates around a point that's not at its center, it's an example of gyration.

Example Sentences

“But with every single gyration of the market, she was very uneasy seeing her account go down,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 13, 2025

Changing that equation may come with a market gyration that some analysts say is all but unavoidable: the significant reduction, if not the collapse, of the office building market.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024

Radius of gyration, coefficient of restitution and other obscure forces cause tethered pins to fly around differently than their free-fall counterparts.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2023

In many of these passages, facts, gyration, jive and comedy are cut across one another yet in equilibrium.

From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2021

Some way off there was a little gyration of activity.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman