as in rotates
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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinwheels
Verb
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Once installed, every pull of the chain rotates a circular drum displaying the numbers zero through three.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Towson University rotates nearly 100 nursing students to help.—
Janay Reece,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The vases also reflect his perspective that design should slow down and allow consumers to hold onto items for longer than the fashion cycle typically revolves today.—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
7 Jan. 2026
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Writer-director Annemarie Jacir takes on her largest-scale production to date with Palestine 36, a panoramic drama that interweaves period re-creations with evocative archival footage and revolves among characters both fictional and historical.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Taken together, these features strongly suggest the object was part of a bow drill — a device that spins a shaft using a bow and string to create rapid back-and-forth rotation.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
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Let her courage linger while the sports calendar spins uncontrollably.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Shauna Martel, a teaching assistant at the Osher Map Library twirls a massive globe around and points to Australia.—
Jackie Northam,
NPR,
7 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Pinwheels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinwheels. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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