spiral
Americannoun
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Geometry. a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.
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a helix.
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a single circle or ring of a spiral or helical curve or object.
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a spiral or helical object, formation, or form.
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Aeronautics. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a helix of small pitch and large radius, with the angle of attack within that of the normal flight range.
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Football. a type of kick or pass in which the ball turns on its longer axis as it flies through the air.
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Economics. a continuous increase in costs, wages, prices, etc. inflationary spiral, or a decrease in costs, wages, prices, etc. deflationary spiral.
adjective
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running continuously around a fixed point or center while constantly receding from or approaching it; coiling in a single plane.
a spiral curve.
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coiling around a fixed line or axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.
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of or of the nature of a spire or coil.
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bound with a spiral binding; spiral-bound.
a spiral notebook.
verb (used without object)
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to take a spiral form or course.
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to advance or increase steadily; rise.
Costs have been spiraling all year.
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Aeronautics. to fly an airplane through a spiral course.
verb (used with object)
noun
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geometry one of several plane curves formed by a point winding about a fixed point at an ever-increasing distance from it. Polar equation of Archimedes spiral: r = a θ; of logarithmic spiral: log r = a θ; of hyperbolic spiral: r θ = a, (where a is a constant)
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another name for helix
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something that pursues a winding, usually upward, course or that displays a twisting form or shape
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a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft descends describing a helix of comparatively large radius with the angle of attack within the normal flight range Compare spin
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economics a continuous upward or downward movement in economic activity or prices, caused by interaction between prices, wages, demand, and production
adjective
verb
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to assume or cause to assume a spiral course or shape
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(intr) to increase or decrease with steady acceleration
wages and prices continue to spiral
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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spiralitynoun
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multispiraladjective
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nonspiraladjective
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subspiraladjective
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unspiraladjective
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unspiraledadjective
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unspiralledadjective
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spirallyadverb
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subspirallyadverb
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unspirallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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spiralsimple
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spiralssimple
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have spiraledperfect
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have spiralledperfect
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has spiraledperfect
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has spiralledperfect
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am spiralingprogressive
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am spirallingprogressive
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are spiralingprogressive
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are spirallingprogressive
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is spiralingprogressive
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is spirallingprogressive
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have been spiralingperfect progressive
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have been spirallingperfect progressive
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has been spiralingperfect progressive
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has been spirallingperfect progressive
Past
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spiraledsimple
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spiralledsimple
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had spiraledperfect
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had spiralledperfect
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was spiralingprogressive
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was spirallingprogressive
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were spiralingprogressive
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were spirallingprogressive
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had been spiralingperfect progressive
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had been spirallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spiral
1545–55; < Medieval Latin spīrālis, equivalent to Latin spīr ( a ) coil (< Greek speîra anything coiled, wreathed, or twisted; see spire 2) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
A spiral is a coil or curl, like the shape of a piece of hair wound around your finger, a Slinky toy, or a corkscrew. A curve forming a series of circles that become gradually larger or smaller is one kind of spiral. You can also use the word as a verb when something moves in a spiral shape: "Then the wind died and I watched my kite spiral down to the ground." The origin of spiral is the Medieval Latin spiralis, which means "winding or coiling," from a Greek root: speira, "coil, twist, or wreath."
Vocabulary lists containing spiral
American Football, 1st Quarter
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myPerspectives 8.4
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Turtles All the Way Down
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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:
Absent any other convenient alternative, the Chinese aspire to export their excess domestic capacity rather than risking a debt-deflation spiral at home.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
The spiral is accelerated by crowded trades and herding behavior, such as exchange-traded funds and quantitative trend-following models.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
By making a relatively small-time conspiracy into a grand cinematic affair, De Palma illustrates just how easily a single evil idea can spiral into catastrophe in seconds.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Another image offers a fresh view of the spiral galaxy NGC 4736, better known as Messier 94.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
She tried to mask the downward spiral of the conversation with a sympathetic smile, but we both knew what the ultimate outcome could end up being.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Emotions explode as secrets are laid bare - and in a dramatic rollercoaster, the plot spirals back over five years to explain their relationships and toxic family dynamics.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
I spent a good share of my shifts throwing tight spirals to kids in the produce section.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
His all-Oxford intellectual formation comes out of the post-“Great Financial Crisis” macro-finance school that views financial crises as driven by leverage cycles, liquidity spirals and risk-taking channels as much as by the traditional business cycle.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
But if it spirals out of control, such questions are only likely to grow, as occurred in Iraq when things started to deteriorate there, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026
“School is too all over the place. It spirals out into a million different things.”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
The Sparks easily could have spiraled following Monday’s disaster in Seattle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Commentators draw parallels with other intractable conflicts, and count the taxpayer money they say has spiraled down the drain.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2026
Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University, said Pratt seems to have tapped into a deep well of discontent among Angelenos who believe that crime and homeless have spiraled out of control.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
More than a million people are out of work, food prices have soared and the national currency has spiraled to record lows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
The winged goddesses spiraled above, preparing for another sweeping attack, and Brer kicked high into the air, trying to close off the hole the monster had made in the Thicket’s wall.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Rohit's dismissal in the 38th over, bowled round his legs by Bethell, was the decisive moment in the match, leaving Virat Kohli to attempt to take India to victory as the required run-rate spiralled.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Burns said in the beginning UWP was legitimate, but Long's actions spiralled out of control due to poor business management and he began using his client's money to keep the company afloat.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
"The behaviour spiralled slowly out of control from there," she adds.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
The conflict has since spiralled into Europe's deadliest since World War II.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
Jason and Piper spiralled upward on the wind.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
A guiding light in troubled times: When the news has you spiraling, sometimes it helps to consider how ordinary people can make a difference.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 2026 Commonwealth Games were thrown into doubt when its original hosts, the Australian state of Victoria, pulled out in 2023 citing spiraling costs.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
His beloved Knicks winning the championship, he said, kept him from spiraling over the book.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
The long list of spiraling costs includes property taxes, insurance, maintenance and home improvements.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Skull-covered balloons dropped chocolate Paragon coins, stormy cloud nougats, and spiraling ginger stars.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Hospitality veteran Clemens Keller insists that Vienna's storied "heuriger" winemakers' taverns -- which face a hangover-inducing brew of real estate speculation, spiralling costs and climate change -- cannot rely on their illustrious past.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
"Happiness came in a box," Charli says of the proposal, before spiralling into a panic about who she'll become if she says "yes".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
But many also stayed away, hurting from two wars in less than a year, inflation spiralling at around 80%, and the pain of January's anti-government protests.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
President Volodymyr Zelensky will skip this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference hosted in Poland, Kyiv announced Tuesday, amid a spiralling diplomatic spat between the allies and neighbours over World War II memory.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Together they performed the peregrine courtship dance, swooping low, zooming high, then spiralling earthward.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
