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
Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Our Milky Way is believed to be a spiral disk of stars with a big bulge in the middle.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Now exposed and out of options, Richard spirals out of control.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
And what was meant to be a lighthearted karaoke moment at a team hotel quickly spiraled into a viral controversy, not for the reasons Rea might’ve hoped.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
But the field now is worlds away from those midnight pencil scribbles in a spiral notebook that kept his son alive until better technology came along.
—Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Our Milky Way is believed to be a spiral disk of stars with a big bulge in the middle.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
What begins as occasional recreational betting too often spirals into financial instability, anxiety and depression, and high-risk habits.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Now exposed and out of options, Richard spirals out of control.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
America’s national debt is spiraling higher by the second.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 14 Oct. 2025
And what was meant to be a lighthearted karaoke moment at a team hotel quickly spiraled into a viral controversy, not for the reasons Rea might’ve hoped.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 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 18 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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