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
Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 2 May 2025
Clues that pointed astronomers to these locations included swirling gas influenced by an early planet’s gravity, as well as rings and gaps of dust inside dust disks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Leslie Hsu Oh, Vogue, 1 May 2025
Successor talk swirls as 61,000 pay homage to Pope Francis Vatican may extend hours as huge crowds line up to honor Pope Francis Who will be the next pope?
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for swirl
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Cook, swirling butter and stirring often, until butter is golden brown and has a nutty fragrance, 2 to 3 minutes more.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 2 May 2025
Clues that pointed astronomers to these locations included swirling gas influenced by an early planet’s gravity, as well as rings and gaps of dust inside dust disks.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 Apr. 2025
Noun
Physically active grief travel Grief inevitably brings up a swirl of thoughts and emotions.
—Leslie Hsu Oh, Vogue, 1 May 2025
Successor talk swirls as 61,000 pay homage to Pope Francis Vatican may extend hours as huge crowds line up to honor Pope Francis Who will be the next pope?
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Apr. 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 9 May. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share