spiral
noun
a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.
had spiraled
-
past perfectof spiral.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Other administration officials who tried to repair the ties concluded the issue had spiraled largely because the Justice Department and the FBI had mishandled it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
A month before this doctor’s appointment, lupus, the chronic autoimmune disease I had lived with for the past four years, had spiraled out of control.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2023
By the time his son Billy was born in Los Angeles 22 years ago this week, Jensen’s life had spiraled out of control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2021
By this spring, when Ma’Khia’s sister placed the first call to the police, her life in foster care had spiraled into dysfunction and disorder, family members said.
From New York Times ● May 8, 2021
The machine droned away, pursued by the two or three airplanes that had spiraled up to attack it.
From Ruth Fielding Homeward Bound A Red Cross Worker's Ocean Perils by Alice B. Emerson
