swirl

[ swurl ]

verb (used without object)

1. to move around or along with a whirling motion; whirl; eddy.
2. to be dizzy or giddy, as the head.

   Synonyms: spin, reel

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to whirl; twist.

noun

1. a swirling movement; whirl; eddy.
2. a twist, as of hair around the head or of trimming on a hat.
3. any curving, twisting line, shape, or form.
4. confusion; disorder.

swirl

/ swɜːl /

verb

1. to turn or cause to turn in a twisting spinning fashion
2. intr to be dizzy; swim

   my head was swirling

noun

1. a whirling or spinning motion, esp in water
2. a whorl; curl
3. the act of swirling or stirring
4. dizzy confusion

Derived Forms

• ˈswirling, adjective
• ˈswirly, adjective
• ˈswirlingly, adverb

Other Words From

• swirling·ly adverb
• outswirl verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of swirl¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of swirl¹

C15: probably from Dutch zwirrelen; related to Norwegian svirla, German schwirren

Example Sentences

Momentum grinding to a halt, the absurdities and indignities that unfolded before this point are all but forgotten, lost in a swirl of badly rendered pixels.

From Los Angeles Times

All three of these factors swirl as she picks her top team.

From BBC

The strong winds which accompanied the storm cloud began to swirl above the Brisbane River at Kangaroo Point, causing a short-lived waterspout, the name for a tornado over a body of water.

From BBC

Only a filmmaker as attuned to his character’s own plight would find the charm and playful possibilities in that titular animal, turning the winding swirl of its shell into a gorgeous motif about how best to look backward in order to move forward.

From Los Angeles Times

All of those issues seemed to swirl up in the same nightmarish moment Saturday night, not long after USC looked primed to put away Maryland, a team that was without a single Big Ten win this season.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• boil
• churn
• roil
• twirl
• whirl