whirl

Use whirl in a sentence

noun

Whirl means the act of spinning or twirling, or a state of confusion.
An example of a whirl is a number of intense events that happen one right after another.

verb

Whirl is defined as to spin, rotate or move quickly in a circular motion.
An example of whirl is for a washing machine to go into the spin cycle.

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"whirl." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WHIRL>.

APA Style

whirl. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WHIRL

whirl

to move rapidly in a circular manner or as in an orbit; circle swiftly: couples whirling round the dance floor
to rotate or spin fast; gyrate
to move, go, drive, etc. swiftly
to seem to spin; reel: my head is whirling

Origin of whirl

Middle English whirlen from Old Norse hvirfla, akin to hverfa: see whir

to cause to rotate, revolve, or spin rapidly
to move, carry, drive, etc. with a rotating motion: the wind whirled the leaves
Obs. to hurl or throw

the act of whirling
a whirling motion
something whirling or being whirled: a whirl of dust
a round of parties, etc., one after another
a tumult; uproar; stir
a confused or giddy condition: his head in a whirl

Origin of whirl

ME wherwille < ON hverfill, akin to Ger wirbel

whirl Idioms

give it a whirl

Informal to try something; make an attempt

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MLA Style

"whirl." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WHIRL>.

APA Style

whirl. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WHIRL

whirl

verb

whirled, whirl·ing, whirls

verb

intransitive

To rotate rapidly about a center or an axis; spin.
To move while rotating or turning about: The dancer whirled across the stage. See Synonyms at turn.
To turn rapidly, changing direction; wheel: She whirled around to face him.
To have the sensation of spinning; reel: My head is whirling with data.

verb

transitive

To cause to rotate or turn rapidly: whirl a baton.
To cause to move with a spinning motion: whirled the ball up into the air.
To drive at high speed: whirled the motorcycle around the corner.
Obsolete To hurl.

noun

The act of rotating or revolving rapidly.
Something, such as a cloud of dust, that whirls or is whirled.
A state of confusion; a tumult: The press room was in a whirl.
A swift succession or round of events: the social whirl.
A state of mental confusion or giddiness; dizziness: My head is in a whirl.
Informal A short trip or ride.
Informal A brief or experimental try: Let's give the plan a whirl.

Origin of whirl

Middle English whirlen probably from Old Norse hvirfla

Related Forms:

whirl′er
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"whirl." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/WHIRL>.

APA Style

whirl. (n.d.). Retrieved January 17th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/WHIRL

Verb

(third-person singular simple present whirls, present participle whirling, simple past and past participle whirled)

(intransitive) To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.
The dancer whirled across the stage, stopped, and whirled around to face the audience.
(intransitive) To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.
My head is whirling after all that drink.
To make something or someone whirl.
The dancer whirled his partner round on her toes.
To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch.

Noun

(plural whirls)

An act of whirling.
She gave the top a whirl and it spun across the floor.
Something that whirls.
A confused tumult.
A rapid series of events
My life is one social whirl.
Dizziness or giddiness.
(usually following “give") A brief experiment or trial.
OK, let's give it a whirl.