gyration

American  

[jahy-ray-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

See Examples For:

gyration

A small geopolitical gyration therefore could see the government bust through its spending rules, spooking investors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

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

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2025

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

As the Seahawks marched to the Super Bowl this season, defensive lineman Michael Bennett danced there — if Bennett’s hip-swiveling gyration after big plays can be described as dancing.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2014

Some way off there was a little gyration of activity.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---