as in rotating
to move in circles around an axis or center
the kayaker had got sucked into the whirlpool, and his kayak was pinwheeling helplessly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinwheeling
Verb
-
Gu executed back-to-back double corks—rotating twice off-axis in the air.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026 -
That motion flows directly into a backflip, with Atlas tucking its body tightly, rotating midair, and landing cleanly on both feet.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Without Champions League football in 2026-27, there is every chance United will have to borrow money to spend significantly and dip back into their revolving credit facility — essentially, a bank overdraft — which funded much of last summer’s £215million expenditure.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
On the positive side, there isn't too much panic on the credit side of the equation yet for the sector, according to one banker, with revolving lines of credit not yet being drawn.—
Seema Mody,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For her winning run, Gremaud, a 26-year-old who has last year’s world championship title to go with her two Olympic golds, skied backward, then flipped twice while spinning once and nailed the landing.—
Eddie Pells,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Patagonia’s proprietary synthetic fill imitates down’s structure by spinning air-trapping microfilaments around a central fiber and requires fewer stabilizing seams and baffles than down.—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Pinwheeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinwheeling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
