swirl
Americanverb (used without object)
-
swirls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swirled,
past participle, past
-
swirling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
swirls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
swirled,
past participle, past
-
swirling
present participle
noun
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swirls
plural
-
a swirling movement; whirl; eddy.
-
a twist, as of hair around the head or of trimming on a hat.
-
any curving, twisting line, shape, or form.
-
confusion; disorder.
verb
-
to turn or cause to turn in a twisting spinning fashion
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(intr) to be dizzy; swim
my head was swirling
noun
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a whirling or spinning motion, esp in water
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a whorl; curl
-
the act of swirling or stirring
-
dizzy confusion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
swirlsimple
-
swirlssimple
-
have swirledperfect
-
has swirledperfect
-
am swirlingprogressive
-
are swirlingprogressive
-
is swirlingprogressive
-
have been swirlingperfect progressive
-
has been swirlingperfect progressive
Past
-
swirledsimple
-
had swirledperfect
-
was swirlingprogressive
-
were swirlingprogressive
-
had been swirlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of swirl
1375–1425; late Middle English (north) < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian svirla; cognate with Dutch zwirrelen to whirl, German (dial.) schwirrlen to totter; all < a root *swir- (whence Danish svirre to whirl, German schwirren to whir) + -l- frequentative suffix
Explanation
To swirl is to turn in circles or spirals, the way a leaf caught in a whirlpool swirls, or a toy duck swirls in the bathtub as you empty the water out. Smoke might swirl up from your campfire, keeping the mosquitos that swirl through the air nearby from biting you. Or you can swirl on a carnival ride that spins you in circles until you step back onto the ground and the world swirls for a while, until you regain your balance. Swirl is a noun, too, as in a swirl of dust. It was originally Scottish for "whirlpool."
Vocabulary lists containing swirl
"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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"The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet"
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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:
Bulgarians were voting in a presidential election on Sunday, as security concerns swirl following a series of drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
And LeBron James found himself smack dab in the swirl of the fierce and funny festivities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed European Parliament on Thursday as discussions continue to swirl about Canada's relationship with the European Union.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Often, it helps to see a visual representation of your finances in black and white so you can deal with the hard facts, rather than the swirl of anxiety that accompanies them.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
“I’m good,” I say, trying to act casual even though their conversation is making my thoughts start to swirl.
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Pili has spent the week quietly slipping through corridors while the media storm swirls around Taylor.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
When frosting a cake, consider piping in swirls rather than straight lines for a tipsy Victorian look.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Hockney’s largest canvas — at more than 7 feet tall and 20 feet wide — is filled with deft lines and Hockney’s signature swirls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
On the island's downwind side, the satellite captured von Kármán vortex streets, which look like repeating swirls spinning in opposite directions.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026
The air swirls in a tempest around them, blowing open the glass doors to the garden with a tangle of billowing curtains.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
When Big Bear’s celebrity eagle died in August, questions swirled over what had gone wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
As speculation swirled about why employees at OpenAI and Anthropic were speaking so freely about their personal beliefs, Korbak jumped into the public discourse.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Speculation that Kelce might retire swirled around after last season’s disappointing finish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
I joined six others on mats on the venue’s galactically swirled green-blue floors.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Magazines, clocks, clothes, pots and pans, sofa cushions, video game controllers, hairbrushes, books—they all swirled around in the dark, foamy water that pushed and pulled through the open front door and the broken windows.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
KYIV—When Svitlana Kaminska’s 10-year-old daughter complained about blurry vision and odd shapes swirling in her head, she anxiously churned through possible reasons as she lined up various doctor visits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
Following swirling speculation over his whereabouts, the 45-year-old was seen disembarking the jet at Opa-Locka Executive Airport outside Miami, having flown via Argentina and Ecuador.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Material falling toward a black hole, for example, often forms a swirling disk around it before moving inward.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
With only the swirling sounds of an overhead air conditioning vent to cloud her thoughts, she explained that, at the beginning, “Estrus” was bogged down by an unprecedented wave of writer’s block.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
I sang until my voice was hoarse, and in between, Sean Red pulled me up to dance around the doorstep with my green dress, the wrinkles mostly out now, swirling around me.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
