swirled; swirling; swirls
1
a
: to move with an eddying or whirling motion
swirling water
b
: to pass in whirling confusion
2
: to have a twist or convolution
: to cause to swirl
swirled her drink
Examples of swirl in a Sentence
Verb
The water swirled around the drain.
kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down
Noun
A swirl of smoke rose from the chimney.
He painted swirls of color on the canvas.
ice cream with chocolate swirls
Recent Examples on the Web
Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Even with Nova Lake rumors swirling and the latest Arrow Lake refresh chips earning high praise, Intel sees benefits in supporting its older-generation hardware as value alternatives.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Hilton Als, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
Golden swirls add beachy vibes to a brown base.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swirl
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Verb
The show mostly avoids the politics that swirl around the design business, especially these days when critics are obsessed with the environmental evils of fast fashion and the shortcomings of an industry known to exploit labor around the globe.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Even with Nova Lake rumors swirling and the latest Arrow Lake refresh chips earning high praise, Intel sees benefits in supporting its older-generation hardware as value alternatives.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
His head isn’t visible; the focus of the image is the swirl of hair on the man’s chest and at his waist, pointing toward what is concealed in his trunks.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2026
Golden swirls add beachy vibes to a brown base.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for swirl
Cite this Entry
“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swirl
1 of 2 noun1
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
2
: whirling confusion
lost in the swirl of events
3
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern
swirl
2 of 2 verb1
: to move with or pass in a swirl
2
: to be marked with or arranged in swirls
3
: to cause to swirl
swirlingly
adverb
ˈswər-liŋ-lē
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