as in spiraling
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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
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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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Recent Examples of swirling
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
The giant, flaky turnovers ooze with a swirling mix of sweet guava paste and cheese.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The swirling winds that spread the flames topped 90 mph.
—Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 14 May 2026
The winds across Antarctica's frozen landscape have carved incredible, swirling vortexes in the clouds above the icy terrain.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 12 May 2026
That the story of The Deb, which centers around female friendship and unity despite cultural differences, wound up curdling into a swirling pit of harassment and negativity and abuse is one of this world’s cruel ironies.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 May 2026
The 27-year-old is part of the national iconography, right up there with Veuve Clicquot and workers’ strikes, and this swirling support system around him choreographs his every step.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
Per the authors, when dolphins flap their tails up and down, the kicking motion pushes water backward and produces swirling currents of varying sizes.
—ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
The news comes amid swirling reports and speculation about a number of cases.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Rumors are swirling that Pep Guardiola could be leaving Manchester City.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 19 May 2026
As swirling rumors and escalating fears mount of imminent US-Israeli strikes, there is a growing sense of inevitability among many Iranians about the resumption of hostilities.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Pour on the dressing, stir to combine, then spoon onto a wide serving dish and top with dollops of the yoghurt, swirling it to reveal the shades of red.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 May 2026
Throughout March, rumors that co-stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson were in a relationship began swirling in the Bravosphere, though both denied such claims.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Rumors of a feud between the two social media stars first began swirling when Cooper's Unwell network dropped Earle's Hot Mess podcast in February 2025.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
The dark matter By looking at how the emission lines in the spectrum were broadened by the Doppler effect, Nakajima and his colleagues measured that the gas is swirling around inside the galaxy at roughly 58 kilometers per second, a rather typical value for dwarf galaxies.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Media reports are swirling that L’Oréal is in discussions to acquire a majority stake in Innovist, an Indian personal care company that includes brands such as Bare Anatomy, Chemist at Play and Sunscoop in its portfolio.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
Adjective
For bigger crews, there’s a three-bedroom Coral Villa and the swirling Perlah Villa complex, which comes with space for up to nine guests and has a pool, dining pavilion, and secluded beachfront lawn for barbecues.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
The giant, flaky turnovers ooze with a swirling mix of sweet guava paste and cheese.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
The swirling winds that spread the flames topped 90 mph.
—Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 14 May 2026
The winds across Antarctica's frozen landscape have carved incredible, swirling vortexes in the clouds above the icy terrain.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 12 May 2026
That the story of The Deb, which centers around female friendship and unity despite cultural differences, wound up curdling into a swirling pit of harassment and negativity and abuse is one of this world’s cruel ironies.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 May 2026
The 27-year-old is part of the national iconography, right up there with Veuve Clicquot and workers’ strikes, and this swirling support system around him choreographs his every step.
—Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 12 May 2026
Per the authors, when dolphins flap their tails up and down, the kicking motion pushes water backward and produces swirling currents of varying sizes.
—ArsTechnica, 2 May 2026
The news comes amid swirling reports and speculation about a number of cases.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Verb
Either way, the no-show by Hurts, or any current Eagles players for that matter, simply adds to the mysterious status of Brown and the franchise as rumors have been swirling all offseason.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
Rumors are swirling that Pep Guardiola could be leaving Manchester City.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 19 May 2026
As swirling rumors and escalating fears mount of imminent US-Israeli strikes, there is a growing sense of inevitability among many Iranians about the resumption of hostilities.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Pour on the dressing, stir to combine, then spoon onto a wide serving dish and top with dollops of the yoghurt, swirling it to reveal the shades of red.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 May 2026
Throughout March, rumors that co-stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson were in a relationship began swirling in the Bravosphere, though both denied such claims.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
Rumors of a feud between the two social media stars first began swirling when Cooper's Unwell network dropped Earle's Hot Mess podcast in February 2025.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
The dark matter By looking at how the emission lines in the spectrum were broadened by the Doppler effect, Nakajima and his colleagues measured that the gas is swirling around inside the galaxy at roughly 58 kilometers per second, a rather typical value for dwarf galaxies.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 13 May 2026
Media reports are swirling that L’Oréal is in discussions to acquire a majority stake in Innovist, an Indian personal care company that includes brands such as Bare Anatomy, Chemist at Play and Sunscoop in its portfolio.
—Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swirling
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
Verb
-
Return to a boil, gently stirring the gnocchi to prevent sticking.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
18 May 2026
-
Set aside at room temperature, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and mixture is syrupy, about 30 minutes.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The third-year students spent nearly a year developing and refining the engine, which runs through continuous rotating explosions in a circular chamber.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
18 May 2026
-
The worst of the severe weather is expected west and northwest of the Kansas City metro, where supercells (large, rotating thunderstorms) capable of producing hail and strong to intense tornadoes are most likely from central Kansas and southeast Nebraska into Iowa and northwest Missouri.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Stephens never plays a mustache-twirling sadist, instead carrying himself with the unbearable confidence of a man truly convinced that his version of abuse and even murder is civilized.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
17 May 2026
-
Emmet Sheehan turned in perhaps his best start of the season Thursday, twirling six innings against the San Francisco Giants.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
The bay structure may represent overlapping gas flows where the outer edge of the spiral intersects with material stripped from the smaller cluster during the collision, according to the study.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
20 May 2026
-
Produced by Kunal Kemmu and Chirag Nihalani through their Drongo Films banner, Vibe centers on two inseparable friends whose ordinary, unassuming lives spiral into an unpredictable, high-energy adventure that pushes their survival instincts and friendship to the limit.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
After decades of mathematicians spinning their wheels, the problem suddenly seemed tractable.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
19 May 2026
-
Some come out the other side of illness, but most loop through an unpredictable whirlpool, at times within sight of shore, at other moments spinning back out to sea.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Giant titanium face sculptures from previous installations reappear among the vessel surfaces, while elongated, twisting faces hang throughout the space.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
Bystander video posted to Facebook showed two jets making contact in the air, then twisting and careening in the sky before hitting the ground and erupting in a plume of dirt and fire.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Tight baseline battles, pressure from Shelton and counterattacks from Ruud, using the violent topspin of those big looping forehands.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swirling. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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