swirled; swirling; swirls
1
a
: to move with an eddying or whirling motion
swirling water
b
: to pass in whirling confusion
2
: to have a twist or convolution
: to cause to swirl
swirled her drink
Examples of swirl in a Sentence
Verb
The water swirled around the drain.
kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down
Noun
A swirl of smoke rose from the chimney.
He painted swirls of color on the canvas.
ice cream with chocolate swirls
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025
Uncertainty has swirled at the lab since March, when the Trump administration’s plans to cut the EPA’s Office of Research and Development were first reported by the New York Times.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 12 July 2025
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 10 July 2025
In the rising steam, watching the swirl of dust collect around her drain, funneling downward like sand in an hourglass, Lily stopped to think: There was a man in her house, a stranger!
—Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for swirl
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Verb
Gently swirl in toppings with a thin metal spatula or table knife.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 July 2025
Uncertainty has swirled at the lab since March, when the Trump administration’s plans to cut the EPA’s Office of Research and Development were first reported by the New York Times.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 12 July 2025
Noun
Her designs leaned away from the figurative with the Sunset rings, their sizable imperial topaz, yellow sapphire or spinel center stones held in swirls of gold.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 10 July 2025
In the rising steam, watching the swirl of dust collect around her drain, funneling downward like sand in an hourglass, Lily stopped to think: There was a man in her house, a stranger!
—Literary Hub, 9 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for swirl
Cite this Entry
“Swirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swirl. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
swirl
1 of 2 noun1
: a whirling mass or motion : eddy
2
: whirling confusion
lost in the swirl of events
3
: a twisting shape, mark, or pattern
swirl
2 of 2 verb1
: to move with or pass in a swirl
2
: to be marked with or arranged in swirls
3
: to cause to swirl
swirlingly
adverb
ˈswər-liŋ-lē
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