twirl
Americanverb (used with object)
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twirls,
present (3rd person singular)
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twirled,
past participle, past
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twirling
present participle
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to cause to rotate rapidly; spin; revolve; whirl.
-
to twiddle.
to twirl my thumbs.
-
to wind idly, as about something.
verb (used without object)
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twirls,
present (3rd person singular)
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twirled,
past participle, past
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twirling
present participle
-
to rotate rapidly; whirl.
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to turn quickly so as to face or point in another direction.
noun
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twirls
plural
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an act or instance of twirling; spin; whirl.
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something convoluted or having a spiral shape; coil; curl; convolution.
verb
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to move or cause to move around rapidly and repeatedly in a circle
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(tr) to twist, wind, or twiddle, often idly
she twirled her hair around her finger
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(intr; often foll by around or about) to turn suddenly to face another way
she twirled around angrily to face him
noun
-
an act of rotating or being rotated; whirl or twist
-
something wound around or twirled; coil
-
a written flourish or squiggle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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twirlsimple
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twirlssimple
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have twirledperfect
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has twirledperfect
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am twirlingprogressive
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are twirlingprogressive
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is twirlingprogressive
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have been twirlingperfect progressive
-
has been twirlingperfect progressive
Past
-
twirledsimple
-
had twirledperfect
-
was twirlingprogressive
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were twirlingprogressive
-
had been twirlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of twirl
Vocabulary lists containing twirl
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:
Her “Floating Score,” inspired by Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds,” features 10 mirrored inflatables that, according to her artist statement, “will twirl rhythmically above the crowds, changing position, order and orientation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
These dancers—costumed by Camille Assaf in casual-cum-dressy ensembles primarily of blacks and grays—gambol, leap, twirl and scamper about the glossy, often scarlet-lit surface of set and lighting designer François-Pierre Couture’s raised stage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
And he has asked the crowd to be in their seats ahead of kick-off to twirl complimentary towels -- a common sight among fans in American sports.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
He has requested a sold-out crowd to be in their seats ahead of kick-off to twirl the complimentary towels – a staple action for supporters in American sport.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
I twirl a small section of dripping hair around my index finger and try and force myself to look away and out across the water.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Fish swim around seagrass, penguins gather above, an ice dancer twirls around them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
She’s wearing tight jeans, heels and a baggy Harvard hoodie and twirls the sweatshirt’s drawstrings in her fingers as she speaks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Critics once dismissed Rajinikanth as a mere "Style King," known for his cigarette flicks, sunglass twirls, and punchy dialogues laced with wry humour.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
This season allows us to get to know more of them beyond a few quirks or twirls of the figurative mustache, although there’s a share of that.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2024
I turn to see Amokye gone—a breeze twirls through the space she used to take up.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Rashid had Seifert stumped before Brook twirled through his tweakers - Ahmed having Rachin Ravindra caught mid-wicket in the 12th over.
From BBC ● Feb. 27, 2026
Dancing to drums in downtown Yangon, the crowd of nationalist activists and saffron-robed monks twirled miniature national flags and toted banners denying accusations of ethnic cleansing being levelled at The Hague.
From Barron's ● Jan. 27, 2026
Yoshinobu Yamamoto successfully lobbied the Dodgers to head down to the bullpen and begin warming up—even though he had twirled a complete game two days earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
Children sharing space with political fliers in oversized wagons blew bubbles, and teenage girls from a local high school twirled pom-poms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025
The toads pranced and twirled and shimmied to the finish line where, with one final croak and sidestep, Bob passed the red ribbon, victorious.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Meanwhile, those at the back of the “Clubhouse” tier danced freely in yards of open space, twirling, to the dismay of the onlooking VIP crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The star appeared as an air stewardess, twirling her way through baggage reclaim while shrugging off a bevy of useless men – a surgeon, a priest, a magician, an astronaut.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
Diners were ushered into a grand, circular room, served by waiters dressed in "hanfu", and treated to an eight-act performance involving twirling dancers and emotive dialogue from actors.
From Barron's ● Nov. 14, 2025
As the beat from Azealia Banks’ “212” thumps in the background, she bounces around her tiny New York bedroom, twirling like a chemically enhanced cool girl.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2025
She keeps twirling her spaghetti around and around with her fork.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
