spiral
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 ).
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.
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.
to cause to take a spiral form or course.
Origin of spiral
1Other words from spiral
- spi·ral·i·ty [spahy-ral-i-tee], /spaɪˈræl ɪ ti/, noun
- spi·ral·ly, adverb
- mul·ti·spi·ral, adjective
- non·spi·ral, adjective, noun
- sub·spi·ral, adjective
- sub·spi·ral·ly, adverb
- un·spi·ral, adjective
- un·spi·ral·ly, adverb
- un·spi·raled, adjective
- un·spi·ralled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use spiral in a sentence
Flying saucers hover here and there, red spirals echo the poster for Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Vertigo,” and the general trippiness is a flashback to acid-rock light shows.
In the galleries: The Washington colorists and the CIA | Mark Jenkins | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostIn restaurants, the consequences of the death spiral of pandemic mismanagement are glaringly obvious, and speak to a larger breakdown in public life.
Restaurants and the People Who Work in Them Need a Bailout. Let’s Finally Give Them One. | Meghan McCarron | November 19, 2020 | EaterThe whales with spiraled tusks jutting from their heads have been known to live in small groups that, at times, come together to form large pods.
A 28-year-old ‘nerd’ in Baltimore invented a new type of mask, and tapped into the strangeness of this 2020 holiday season | Theresa Vargas | November 18, 2020 | Washington PostLife’s stresses cloud my thinking and I spiral into a downward circle of frustration, fear and doubt.
In 2007, we were watching someone spiral away from the constraint of her managers and image-handlers and ultimately even out of her own control.
Why Britney Spears’s fans are convinced she’s being held captive | Constance Grady | November 11, 2020 | Vox
So, only when you have spiraling matter down do you get these ferocious, black hole jets.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Breaks Down ‘Interstellar’: Black Holes, Time Dilations, and Massive Waves | Marlow Stern | November 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA shock or recession could send deficits spiraling much higher.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTSpiraling gun violence has earned Chicago the nickname Chiraq.
Have you ever found yourself spiraling a bit out of control on booze or drugs?
James McAvoy on ‘Filth,’ His Wild Bachelor Party, and BB Gun Fights with Jennifer Lawrence | Marlow Stern | May 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe lay on the rocks and sand, his mind spiraling toward unconsciousness, and let his body make its own recovery.
The Sensitive Man | Poul William AndersonThe squadron was spiraling upward in close formation with his plane above them when the enemy struck.
Hands were laid on him and the roughness with which he was moved sent Ross spiraling back into the dark once again.
The Time Traders | Andre NortonThe spark descended rather slowly, with a spiraling movement, and trailing the heavy smoke.
Our Part in the Great War | Arthur GleasonThey then ascended interminable moldy stone steps spiraling upward in a circular shaft.
Astounding Stories, June, 1931 | Various
British Dictionary definitions for spiral
/ (ˈspaɪərəl) /
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 range: Compare spin (def. 16)
economics a continuous upward or downward movement in economic activity or prices, caused by interaction between prices, wages, demand, and production
having the shape of a spiral
to assume or cause to assume a spiral course or shape
(intr) to increase or decrease with steady acceleration: wages and prices continue to spiral
Origin of spiral
1Derived forms of spiral
- spirally, adverb
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
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