swirl

Swirl is defined as to move or cause to move in twisting or spinning motions.

(verb)

An example of swirl is for a girl to twirl her hair around her finger.

The definition of a swirl is a twist, curl or whirl motion.

(noun)

An example of a swirl is the shape of soft ice cream in a cone.

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See swirl in Webster's New World College Dictionary

intransitive verb

  1. to move with a twisting, whirling motion; eddy
  2. to swim, or be dizzy, as the head

Origin: 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

  1. a swirling motion; whirl; eddy
  2. something having a twisting, curving form; twist; curl; whirl; whorl
  3. dizzy confusion

Related Forms:

See swirl in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb swirled, swirl·ing, swirls
verb, intransitive
  1. To move with a twisting or whirling motion; eddy.
  2. To be dizzy or disoriented.
  3. To be arranged in a spiral, whorl, or twist.
verb, transitive
  1. To cause to move with a twisting or whirling motion. See Synonyms at turn.
  2. To form into or arrange in a spiral, whorl, or twist.
noun
  1. A whirling or eddying motion or mass: a swirl of white water.
  2. Something, such as a curl of hair, that coils, twists, or whirls.
  3. Whirling confusion or disorder: “high-pressure farce built around the swirl of mistaken identities” (Jay Carr).

Origin:

Origin: Middle English swyrl, eddy

Origin: , probably of Low German or Scandinavian origin

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Related Forms:

  • swirlˈy adjective

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