How to Use swirl in a Sentence

swirl

1 of 2 verb
  • The water swirled around the drain.
  • Add the oil and butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
    The View, ABC News, 22 Nov. 2023
  • Flames turned the sky over the city red as choking smoke and swirling flecks of ash filled the air.
    Time, 22 Aug. 2023
  • But for now, all the hype is swirling around that one shiny blue lip compact.
    Rory Satran, WSJ, 2 Dec. 2023
  • There have been a lot of thoughts, too many, swirling in my head about the Israel-Hamas war in the last few weeks.
    Landon Block, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Rumors have been swirling about the film’s casting since 2019.
    Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024
  • To use, empty bait into a trap, add warm water to the fill line, and swirl to mix.
    Rachel Ahrnsen, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Oct. 2023
  • The nose starts off with sweet honey and caramel, with just a hint of spice and heat swirling underneath.
    Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Rumors have been swirling about whether or not there will be a Season 2.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 30 June 2023
  • Rumors have swirled over whether Swift and Travis have been dating.
    Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 1 Oct. 2023
  • But rumors have swirled over the last two weeks about a budding romance.
    Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Ethics issues swirled around the court High-profile issues weren’t the only reason the Supreme Court was in the news this term.
    Jessica Gresko, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2023
  • With that, the conversation that all was not well behind the scenes began to swirl anew.
    Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2023
  • The thin air carried a chill as clouds swirled around us — and, dizzyingly, below us — at time-lapse speeds.
    David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 19 Aug. 2023
  • But the study also showed why safety concerns continue to swirl around the drugs.
    Laurie McGinley, Anchorage Daily News, 4 May 2023
  • In the years leading up to the year 2000, rumors swirled about a bug that would wreak havoc on computer systems around the world.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
  • By the end of the set, the audience broke into a swirling mosh that ended up with arms and bodies flying all over the place — much to the group’s approval.
    Spin Staff, SPIN, 3 July 2023
  • Each bite hit with savory and salty force, while a stirring aroma of smoke swirled around my head, luring me back in.
    Nick Kindelsperger, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2023
  • Its shares recorded two steep dips – of 9% and 13% — in September as rumors swirled.
    Patrick Frater, Variety, 20 Nov. 2023
  • They are placed, along with a fried egg, atop a bowl of hot oatmeal, which has been seasoned with parmesan and swirled with a spoonful of basil pesto.
    Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 10 Jan. 2024
  • It was almost expected for a man to have this kind of scandal swirling around them all the time, but for these women, that was not okay.
    Vulture, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Questions are still swirling around the Dodgers as October begins.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
  • But amid all the spine-tingling, goosebump-inducing noise swirling around the ground, the Norwegian looked like the calmest man in the stadium.
    Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Ghosts swirl through the screen in bulk, and characters — including a child — are in constant peril.
    Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 28 July 2023
  • For many, summer fun means thrill rides rule that soar, swirl, and defy gravity.
    Roxana Saberi, CBS News, 2 July 2023
  • Engagement rumors have recently swirled for the two, who have a 16-year age gap.
    Dory Jackson, Peoplemag, 20 Dec. 2023
  • That’s the question swirling around a new proposal to protect the roughly 50 Rice’s whales left in existence.
    Max Chesnes Tampa Bay Times (tns), al, 28 June 2023
  • Currently, the plant is only cooled by overhead fans that swirl high above the assembly line.
    Coral Davenport, New York Times, 31 July 2023
  • Currents swirled around it and sand piled up on it, but the weathered ship survived relatively intact.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Add 1 1/2 tablespoons batter, and swirl to coat skillet.
    Julia Levy, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2024
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swirl

2 of 2 noun
  • A swirl of smoke rose from the chimney.
  • He painted swirls of color on the canvas.
  • Just toss everything in the bowl with ice and give it a swirl.
    Li Goldstein, Bon Appétit, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Old and new friends jumped up and down, reveling the swirl of the bass-heavy beats.
    Isabel Debre, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2023
  • And the caramel swirl clearly showcased in the ads stood out just as much in the real thing.
    Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Sep. 2023
  • The store was a crazy swirl of parents and kids wrestling over school supplies.
    David Holloway, al, 2 Aug. 2023
  • Add the tequila, simple syrup, orange liqueur and lime juice to the glass and swirl to mix.
    Jais Tollette, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2022
  • Her brown mane swirls and snakes, reaching for the surface.
    Myriam Gurba, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024
  • And then give it a gentle swirl before dropping the egg in the center.
    Christopher Michel, Country Living, 28 July 2023
  • The long swirls of greens soaked up the broth but kept their bracing bitterness.
    The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023
  • My top pick for a swirl would be dulce de leche, which tends to be thicker than a standard caramel sauce.
    Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2024
  • All of the above are fine acts, worthy of endless respect but lost in a chaotic swirl.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 Dec. 2022
  • But there are opportunities to be found in the swirl of change.
    Brent Lang, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
  • Check the viscosity of the sauce and swirl in more slurry if needed.
    Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022
  • Hers is topped with a crunchy chocolate tuile and served with a swirl of passion fruit ice cream.
    Caroline Hatchett, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2022
  • And the darkness is no longer monolithic, but swirls with shades of black and a parade of textures.
    Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 26 Mar. 2024
  • In front of a wall of Catholic icons in gold frames, the smoke of copal, the Mesoamerican incense, cut swirls through shafts of sunlight.
    Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2024
  • The vibrant dish gets a swirl of yogurt, maple syrup, and half-and-half and a topping of crunchy pistachios.
    Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Spitzer’s infrared swirls of dust and gas clouds are portrayed by a piano.
    Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023
  • One whiff, a swirl of zest and rocket fuel, made my eyes water.
    Clarissa Wei, The New Yorker, 16 June 2023
  • The yellow lemon cupcakes are cut in half and layered in 4-ounce jars with swirls of pink frosting.
    Sarah Gish, Kansas City Star, 24 Jan. 2024
  • Then, amid a swirl of gray silt, both retreat to their respective dens.
    Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2022
  • Plotwise, the movie tracks the anxious lead-up to Stacy’s bat mitzvah and the pubescent social swirl that surrounds it.
    Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a swirl of coconut cream and a sprinkle of chopped chiles if desired.
    Ann Maloney, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2022
  • It's known for items like brisket tacos and the Mambo Taxi cocktail, a margarita with a sangria swirl.
    Emma Balter, Chron, 10 Mar. 2023
  • The loop below shows a swirl of cloudiness to our west indicative of low pressure.
    Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Oct. 2022
  • The brisk swirl of clouds is expected to cap temperatures in the low 50s most of Thursday, dipping down to the 40s overnight.
    Katie Lauer, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
  • Hot-glue the two shell halves together so that the orange swirls are visible on both sides.
    Amanda Kingloff, Parents, 2 Feb. 2024
  • Garnish each serving with a swirl of rosemary oil, a few croutons, and a sprinkle of lemon zest.
    Lidey Heuck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2023
  • The galaxy gets its nickname from the dramatic swirl of its spiral arms.
    Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swirl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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