spiral

[ spahy-ruhl ]

/ ˈspaɪ rəl /

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See synonyms for: spiral / spiraled / spiraling / spiralled 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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM spiral

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. 2023

How to use spiral in a sentence

Those cleared included homes with mounting coronavirus outbreaks before or during the inspections, as well as those that saw cases and deaths spiral upward after inspectors reported no violations had been found, in some cases multiple times.
As pandemic raged and thousands died, government regulators cleared most nursing homes of infection-control violations|Debbie Cenziper, Joel Jacobs, Shawn Mulcahy|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Beyond the spiral arms of our galaxy lies a giant halo of hot gas.
Meet the disk-shaped halo of hot gas you currently live in|Kate Baggaley|October 21, 2020|Popular-Science
Multiple poll workers withdrew during the April primary as the pandemic spiraled out of control.
Wisconsin early voting kicks off amid surge in coronavirus cases|Derek Hawkins, Dan Simmons|October 20, 2020|Washington Post
This tension could spiral into various unpleasant scenarios of varying danger or risk to the country.
Mike Pence does not seem prepared to save the republic, should he be called upon to do so|Philip Bump|October 8, 2020|Washington Post

Deprived of his right to exercise his talent, Taku SEKINE, who lived for the kitchen, within two months locked himself in a violent spiral of depression.
Chef Behind Parisian New-Wave Hit Dersou Dies|Eileen W. Cho|September 29, 2020|Eater
The Atlantis was spiralling up to her ten-thousand-foot level, and in a moment or two she was nothing more than a speck.
The Air Pirate|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
In a few more strides, Alex would be over its outer perimeter spiralling down endless chutes of dirt.
The Land of Look Behind|Paul Cameron Brown
All these great continental and oceanic systems of spiralling winds are important climatic controls.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5|Various
That hill is not a badly spiralling one, but it is long and steep and usually ridden with brakes.
Dangerous Ages|Rose Macaulay
The volan was fluttering, spiralling slowly as Georg struggled to hold his place.
Tarrano the Conqueror|Raymond King Cummings

British Dictionary definitions for spiral

spiral

/ (ˈspaɪərəl) /

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 forms of spiral

spirally, 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

spiral

Origin of spiral

OTHER WORDS FROM spiral

Words related to spiral

How to use spiral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spiral

Derived forms of spiral

Word Origin for spiral