spiral

[spahy-ruh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR spiral ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Geometry. a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.

a helix.

a single circle or ring of a spiral or helical curve or object.

a spiral or helical object, formation, or form.

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.

Football. a type of kick or pass in which the ball turns on its longer axis as it flies through the air.

Economics. a continuous increase in costs, wages, prices, etc. (inflationary spiral), or a decrease in costs, wages, prices, etc. (deflationary spiral).

adjective

running continuously around a fixed point or center while constantly receding from or approaching it; coiling in a single plane: a spiral curve.

coiling around a fixed line or axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.

of or of the nature of a spire or coil.

bound with a spiral binding; spiral-bound: a spiral notebook.

verb (used without object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

to take a spiral form or course.

to advance or increase steadily; rise: Costs have been spiraling all year.

Aeronautics. to fly an airplane through a spiral course.

verb (used with object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

to cause to take a spiral form or course.

Nearby words

Origin of spiral

1545–55; < Medieval Latin spīrālis, equivalent to Latin spīr(a) coil (< Greek speîra anything coiled, wreathed, or twisted; see spire²) + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

spi·ral·i·ty

[spahy-ral-i-tee] /spaɪˈræl ɪ ti/, nounspi·ral·ly, adverbmul·ti·spi·ral, adjectivenon·spi·ral, adjective, noun

sub·spi·ral, adjectivesub·spi·ral·ly, adverbun·spi·ral, adjectiveun·spi·ral·ly, adverbun·spi·raled, adjectiveun·spi·ralled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for spiraling

Authorities in Hong Kong, at least for the moment, have lost control of spiraling protests in the city.
Hong Kong Protesters Fear Martial Law Is Coming|Gordon G. Chang|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Spiraling gun violence has earned Chicago the nickname Chiraq.
Obama, Why Aren’t You in Chiraq?|Michael Daly|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unsurprisingly, Phillips himself seems to be spiraling out of control.
Sex Scandal Rocks the Duggars’ Christian Patriarchy Movement|Amanda Marcotte|April 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Despite a spiraling rabbit hole of media quibbling about what Huckabee supposedly said, the basic gist of his remarks were clear.
The GOP’s Latest Ploy: Flatter Married Women|Amanda Marcotte|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Debt has a habit of spiraling out of control and thus “fragilizing systems,” as Nassim Taleb puts it.
Dirty Debt, Done Dirt Cheap|Nick Gillespie|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I eased back on my throttle, settled into a spiraling glide, and sank down into the fog, flying by instruments.
Test Pilot|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
He went up and over the hill, spiraling into the sky in a climb steeper than any ship had ever carried him.
A Yankee Flier Over Berlin|Al Avery
I was behind him and picked a German who was spiraling either upward or downward, for a few seconds I was not sure which.
High Adventure|James Norman Hall
The spark descended rather slowly, with a spiraling movement, and trailing the heavy smoke.
Our Part in the Great War|Arthur Gleason
First, a decade of rampant inflation drained its reserves as we tried to protect beneficiaries from the spiraling cost of living.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various

British Dictionary definitions for spiraling

spiral

noun

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)

another name for helix (def. 1)

something that pursues a winding, usually upward, course or that displays a twisting form or shape

a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft descends describing a helix of comparatively large radius with the angle of attack within the normal flight rangeCompare spin (def. 16)

economics a continuous upward or downward movement in economic activity or prices, caused by interaction between prices, wages, demand, and production

adjective

having the shape of a spiral

verb -rals, -ralling or -ralled or US -rals, -raling or -raled

to assume or cause to assume a spiral course or shape

(intr) to increase or decrease with steady accelerationwages and prices continue to spiral

Derived Formsspirally, adverb

Word Origin for spiral

C16: via French from Medieval Latin spīrālis, from Latin spīra a coil; see spire ²

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for spiraling

spiral

adj.

1550s, from Middle French spiral, from Medieval Latin spiralis "winding, coiling" (mid-13c.), from Latin spira "coil," from Greek speira "coil, twist, wreath," from PIE *sper- "to turn, twist." Spiral galaxy first attested 1913.

spiral

1726 (implied in spiraled), from spiral (n.). Transferred and figurative sense by 1922. Related: Spiraling.

spiral

1650s, from spiral (adj.). U.S. football sense is from 1896.

Medicine definitions for spiraling

spiral

[spī′rəl]

adj.

Coiling or developing around an axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.

n.

A structure in the shape of a coil.

v.

To take the form or course of a spiral.

spiral

noun

adjective

verb (used without object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

verb (used with object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

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Origin of spiral

Examples from the Web for spiraling

spiral

noun

adjective

verb -rals, -ralling or -ralled or US -rals, -raling or -raled

Word Origin for spiral

spiral

spiral

spiral

spiral

adj.

n.

v.