1
a
: winding around a center or pole and gradually receding from or approaching it
the spiral curve of a watch spring
b
: helical
c
: spiral-bound
a spiral notebook
2
: of or relating to the advancement to higher levels through a series of cyclical movements
1
a
: the path of a point in a plane moving around a central point while continuously receding from or approaching it
b
: a three-dimensional curve (such as a helix) with one or more turns about an axis
2
: a single turn or coil in a spiral object
3
: something having a spiral form as:
a
b(1)
: a spiral flight
(2)
: a kick or pass in which a football rotates on its long axis while moving through the air
4
: a continuously spreading and accelerating increase or decrease
wage spirals
spiraled or spiralled; spiraling or spiralling
: to go and especially to rise or fall in a spiral course
costs spiraled upward
Examples of spiral in a Sentence
Adjective
a spiral staircase takes visitors up into the Statue of Liberty
Noun
The glider flew in a wide spiral over the field.
The quarterback threw a tight spiral to the receiver.
Verb
Smoke spiraled up from the chimney.
The airplane spiraled to the ground and crashed.
The unemployment rate has been spiraling upward.
The stock market is spiraling downward.
Let's deal with this crisis before it spirals out of control.
Recent Examples on the Web
Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
While fans may no longer watch those familiar white discs spiral across the field, the memories remain—etched in photos, in inside jokes, and in the hearts of those who once stood shoulder to shoulder, laughing as flour dust filled the West Texas air.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Eve in the Garden of Eden-like, Fox wore the transparent dress from Findikoglu’s spring 2023 collection to the 2025 Oscars after-party, with longtime hairstylist John Novotny styling her own hair in long, loose spirals through the gauzy gown.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
Over time, however, things began to spiral.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Adjective
Matan Stauber’s Histography features a time spiral of significant events that takes users on a dizzying journey billions of years into the past.
—Big Think, 27 Oct. 2025
While fans may no longer watch those familiar white discs spiral across the field, the memories remain—etched in photos, in inside jokes, and in the hearts of those who once stood shoulder to shoulder, laughing as flour dust filled the West Texas air.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Under certain conditions, these glowing trails can appear to form spirals in the upper atmosphere.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 27 Oct. 2025
Eve in the Garden of Eden-like, Fox wore the transparent dress from Findikoglu’s spring 2023 collection to the 2025 Oscars after-party, with longtime hairstylist John Novotny styling her own hair in long, loose spirals through the gauzy gown.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
That worsening tensions could spiral into cataclysmic war is now all too imaginable.
—Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025
Over time, however, things began to spiral.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spiral. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
spiral
2 of 3 noun1
a
: a curve in a plane that winds around a point while getting closer to or farther away from it
b
: a curve (as a helix) in space that winds around an axis
2
: a single turn or coil in a spiral object
3
: something having a spiral form
spiral
3 of 3 verb
spiraled or spiralled; spiraling or spiralling
: to move in a spiral path
Medical Definition
spiral
2 of 2 noun1
: the path of a point in a plane moving around a central point while continuously receding from or approaching it
2
: a three-dimensional curve (as a helix) with one or more turns about an axis
the double spiral of DNA
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