awhirl

[ uh-hwurl, uh-wurl ]

adjective

1. rotating rapidly; spinning; whirling (usually used predicatively):

   dancers awhirl to the strains of a lively waltz.

Word History and Origins

Origin of awhirl¹

First recorded in 1880–85; a- ¹ + whirl

Example Sentences

He left his 8,000-square-foot penthouse apartment in Greenwich Village and hopped into a waiting Mercedes-Benz van, which whizzed him a mile uptown to his helicopter, propellers awhirl.

From New York Times

Granted, it’s Christmastime, but on this particular evening the warm palette awhirl over the swirls of architect Moshe Safdie’s performing arts center was in tribute to the artist and philanthropist Jeff Hanson.

From Washington Post

As the characters travel from 1980 to 1957, the actors grab props and costumes, the stage awhirl with movement; they’re often literally and figuratively rolling along, with an energy that encourages us to roll along, too.

From The New Yorker

Throughout, Ophüls sets the camera and the action awhirl, packing the frame with foregrounded hustle and bustle that lends the teeming, rustic events added romantic urgency.

From The New Yorker

His mind was awhirl with thoughts and memories, and, at the center of everything: the mystery of himself.

From Literature