swirl
swirl
Definition
swirl (swʉrl)
intransitive verb
- to move with a twisting, whirling motion; eddy
- to swim, or be dizzy, as the head
Etymology: ME (Scot) swyrl, prob. < Norw dial. svirla, freq. of sverra, to whirl: for IE base see swarm
transitive verb
to cause to swirl; whirl
noun
- a swirling motion; whirl; eddy
- something having a twisting, curving form; twist; curl; whirl; whorl
- dizzy confusion
swirl′·ingly adverb
swirl
Synonyms
swirl
n.
swirl
Synonyms
swirl
Usage Examples
Object
- mist: At night, swirling mist reveals glimpses of its shadowy past.
- cloud: But they are still tiny sparks in swirling gray clouds.
- round: Blues, greens, reds, swirling round my field of vision in a kaleidoscope of color.
Converse of object
- watch: Sit by fire with coffee and watch the snow swirl around outside.
Adjective modifier
- white: A northerly sweeps the frozen plain lifting the silent snow in white swirls.
Modifies a noun
- mark: The above photo shows these ' swirl marks ' close up.
- pot: Alternatively another option would be to use an external swirl pot which is a little more complicated.
- round: Chemical reeks filled the car as we rolled down the windows to allow the heat to swirl round a bit.
Modifying Another Word
- gently: You can help this process by gently swirling the bottle but DO NOT SHAKE.
- about: After a picnic there was a grim steep climb up to an exposed ridge with clouds of fine rain swirling about.
- away: Then the pike dropped off, swirling away from the sudden indignity in a great huff of silt.
Noun used with modifier
- chocolate: It was a two tiered Dark Belgian Chocolate cake covered in white chocolate swirls.
Followed by a transitive particle
- around: Common examples are wind and water swirling around obstructions, or fast flow of any sort.
- down: CU to shot of water swirling down drain of drinking fountain.
Preposition: of
- cream: Add salt and pepper to taste and a swirl of cream to garnish.
- cloud: The satellite picture shows the swirl of cloud around the low with frontal cloud just reaching North Wales.
- smoke: So Tim lit more matches and we watched the swirls of smoke in vain.
- wind: Swirls of warm wind raised small clouds of dust.
- color: Michael Andrews's previously unexhibited Portrait of Roger Daltrey shows the lead singer of The Who caught in a swirl of color.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- around: Murray's narrator has a horrific time: There was black water swirling around my feet.
Browse dictionary entries near swirl
- swiple
- swipes
- swipe
- swink
- swinish
- swingman
- swingletree
- swingle
- swinging door
- swinging
- swirling
- swirly
- swish
- swishy
- Swiss
- Swiss chard
- Swiss cheese
- Swiss franc
- Swiss Guards
- Swiss Market Index
