1
as in rotating
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis
absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair around her finger
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in revolving
to move in circles around an axis or center
an ice-skater twirling in place
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of twirling
As soon as the referee called Wildcats ball, Karaban started twirling his finger, begging his bench for a review.
—
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
Chuky said, twirling a thick finger at Adi’s rifle.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The trailer opens with the ominous tones on Also sprach Zarathustra and an image of a Presley nervously twirling his ring and tapping his foot.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2025
There was the six-member step team, two girls twirling flags and three more spinning rings.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2025
The 17-second TikTok shows the stars swaying and twirling together amid a group of dancers at Broken Spoke.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
At its center is a 30-foot ferris wheel with twirling elements including a sun and moon, and 28 mechanical butterflies with beating wings flitting among colorful flowers.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
The towels started twirling again.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
The loudest section left belonged to a group of shirtless men twirling their shirts overhead as Colorado trailed 52-14.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 31 Jan. 2026
Chuky said, twirling a thick finger at Adi’s rifle.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The trailer opens with the ominous tones on Also sprach Zarathustra and an image of a Presley nervously twirling his ring and tapping his foot.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 9 Dec. 2025
There was the six-member step team, two girls twirling flags and three more spinning rings.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2025
The 17-second TikTok shows the stars swaying and twirling together amid a group of dancers at Broken Spoke.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 24 Nov. 2025
At its center is a 30-foot ferris wheel with twirling elements including a sun and moon, and 28 mechanical butterflies with beating wings flitting among colorful flowers.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025
The towels started twirling again.
—D’joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 5 Nov. 2025
The loudest section left belonged to a group of shirtless men twirling their shirts overhead as Colorado trailed 52-14.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for twirling
Verb
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Gu executed back-to-back double corks—rotating twice off-axis in the air.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
9 Feb. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Verb
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The haters will come out in force after your Super Bowl performance — misrepresenting your intentions, twisting your words and actions to suit their agenda.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
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The frontal plane is your side-to-side movements, and the transverse plane is twisting movements.—
Sarah Klein,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The program has focused on turning waste into artwork while raising awareness about how much plastic the community throws away.—
Spencer Wilson,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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King then collided with the passenger side of 2015 GMC Terrain, which was headed north on Missouri 291 and turning west into a shopping center at Elizabeth Street, Mulch said.—
Robert A. Cronkleton,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Gas and dust swirling around a black hole block visible light, but infrared light can punch right through.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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Even so, rumors have begun swirling that the rapper has gotten back together with his ex-girlfriend Gabriela Berlingeri.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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They got engaged, and later married during the set, surrounded by the artist and whirling revelers.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
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Patterns emerged in the observations, captured both close to the star and further away from it, that suggested a companion star was whirling through Betelgeuse’s extended atmosphere.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Twirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/twirling. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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