swirling 1 of 2

adjective

as in spiraling

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swirling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of swirl
1
as in stirring
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rotating
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis swirled her skirts as she danced the tango

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of swirling
Adjective
To create marbling, run a table knife (or wooden skewer) through the batters in a swirling motion. — Martha Stewart, 20 June 2026 Scrape banana cream mixture on top of cake and spread out until nearly to edges, swooping and swirling decoratively. — Joe Sevier, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026 According to Minerva, creating these luxurious sets starts with sketching the signature swirling line work in black. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 29 June 2026 Despite the swirling attention, brand collaborations and the hopes of millions riding on her shoulders, Eala remains notably grounded. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026 However, the situation for gas giants is somewhat more complicated because of their swirling atmospheres. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 July 2026 The young royal shimmered in a swirling diamond tiara, identified as by Belgian jeweler Cooseman, pairing it with a pale pink dress with a cape neckline and trailing sleeves. — Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 Argentina’s swirling paint technique The defending World Cup champion is mixing sporting heritage with artistic expression in its jerseys. — Steve Douglas, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026 Hyo Joo Kim and Hye-Jin Choi handled a swirling wind Saturday and made enough birdies to be among only six teams who broke par, posting a 1-under 69 in foursomes to build a one-shot lead in the Dow Championship. — ABC News, 13 June 2026
Verb
Kimiya was closest, sprawled across the floor weeping, debris swirling around her. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2026 And across the almost-year since, speculation has been swirling. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 July 2026 Streeting resigned last month as the speculation swirling around Starmer reached fever pitch. — Nick Duffy, NBC news, 22 June 2026 Rumors of guest list drama are swirling Unsurprisingly, Swift and Kelce have been tight-lipped about wedding details, but keeping an event this huge under wraps is an uphill battle. — Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2026 The American great had just lost to France’s Harmony Tan in the first round of the grass court major and questions about her future were swirling around this leafy corner of London. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 30 June 2026 Rodrigo has not addressed the breakup rumors — which began swirling in December 2025 — directly, and the Pitchfork piece is no different. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026 In May, confirming rumors that had been swirling for months, Anthropic’s life sciences lead Eric Kauderer-Abrams publicly acknowledged that the company is building out its own wet labs and hiring biologists to run its own basic research. — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026 Even with tariff turmoil swirling and adding a not-insignificant degree of confusion and instability to global trade, there have been some crucial bright spots for the textile industry over the past year, in large part because of the protections afforded by USMCA. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 26 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swirling
  1. spiraling
  2. stirring
  3. rotating
  4. spiral
  5. twirling
  6. looping
  7. spinning
  8. zigzag
Adjective
  • The basic idea is that when anxiety spikes, pulling out a few sensory-engaging items can stave off panic by interrupting spiraling thoughts.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Still annoyed, weirdly offended, and slightly spiraling.
    — Jenna Ryu, SELF, 6 Apr. 2026
Definition of spiraling
Verb
  • Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
    — Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
  • Simmer beans, stirring occasionally, until bubbling and thickened, about 5 minutes.
    — Inés Anguiano, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
Definition of stirring
Verb
  • With menus inspired by the seasons, rotating dishes, bold flavors and comforting classics adorn the menu, like their famous crispy fried chicken and their shrimp and grits.
    — Carinne Geil Botta, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Accommodation includes two owner’s suites—one with a rotating bed, the other with a reflecting pool—a spacious full-beam VIP, and four guest cabins.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 30 June 2026
Definition of rotating
Adjective
  • Our planet sits along one of the galaxy’s spiral arms, about halfway from the center, according to NASA.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Things rapidly spiral out of control for the quartet as a waking nightmare, filled with ghostly figures and sudden disappearances, unfolds.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026
Definition of spiral
Verb
  • On any other man, this level of villainy could be mustache-twirling and cartoonish.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • The mustache-twirling villain flees, both Half-ATs and full-on AT-AT Walkers come into play, and our hero and Grogu finish the job.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026
Definition of twirling
Adjective
  • Australian singer-songwriter Tash Sultana presented an emotional and powerful mid-afternoon set with soaring guitar solos and vocals, live looping and musical dexterity that left the audience stunned in the best way possible.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 June 2026
  • The main performance is scheduled to include aerial acrobatics, bondage, burlesque and drag performers from groups such as The Dragonettes, AKArts Collective and others with hypnotic live looping and vocal music from Morgan Sorne.
    — Anne Schrager, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
Definition of looping
Verb
  • Overcome Didier Deschamps’ side on July 9 – a tall order at the moment given how good Les Bleus look – and heads will be spinning at the possibilities that could await.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • But his head was spinning after a day of trying to prepare for F1 and F2 cars.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of spinning
Adjective
  • Any number of odd, zigzag examples can be used to make the case that legislative districts in Wisconsin are excessively gerrymandered.
    — Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 17 Nov. 2023
Definition of zigzag

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Cite this Entry

“Swirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swirling. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of swirling for Spanish Speakers

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