as in to curl
to follow a circular or spiral course
a narrow road spiraling up the mountain to the summit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in winding
turning around an axis like the thread of a screw
a spiral staircase takes visitors up into the Statue of Liberty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiral
Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2025
The Blazers started to speed Westbrook up in the third quarter, and the game spiraled out of control for Denver.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025
Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025
Here’s why: Earth is located on a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, roughly two-thirds from its center.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2025
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
As auroras form, Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that have fascinated humans for millennia.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Verb
From there, the conversation spiraled into a lively debate over underrated travel essentials — each friend trying to convince the others to add their must-have items to their carts.
—Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2025
The Blazers started to speed Westbrook up in the third quarter, and the game spiraled out of control for Denver.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Gravitational forces have caused the icy bodies to gather into two spiral arms, making the inner Oort cloud look like a disk to a distant observer, the study states.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2025
Here’s why: Earth is located on a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, roughly two-thirds from its center.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 13 Feb. 2025
Noun
This is not the first time a blue spiral has been seen in the wake of a SpaceX rocket launch.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
As auroras form, Earth's magnetic field redirects the particles toward the poles through a process that produces a stunning display of rays, spirals and flickers that have fascinated humans for millennia.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for spiral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiral
Verb
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Slowly lift your upper body off the mat, eventually curling to extend the arms toward the feet.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
14 Mar. 2025
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Your feet should be hip-width apart with your toes curled forward.—
Dana Santas,
CNN,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Coming out can be a long and winding path for many of us that isn’t easy or straightforward.—
Quispe López,
Them,
18 Mar. 2025
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Blankenhorn's professional career has amounted to a long and winding road ever since he was drafted in the third round out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in 2015.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Acevedo was impressed with Gilliland’s command of the curve.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2025
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More and more companies are ahead of the curve on this type of reporting, disclosing non-financial data in their annual reports alongside their revenue and profit figures.—
David Morel,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The pertinence of this story to current events will likely be the first thing anyone focuses on, and rightly so, but the directors also deserve credit for the film’s tightly coiled, deeply felt terror, panic, and betrayal. 32.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2025
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But, about halfway into the story, Proulx abandons her customary prose style, which is as coiled as a rattlesnake and about as sentimental, in order to cut loose and give the boys their first moment of physical tenderness.—
Michael Cunningham,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The 250-cc bike gets bobber-like styling, with a floating seat, tubular frame, retro lighting, and a simple circular dash.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
22 Mar. 2025
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Photo : Thomas Donkin The kitchen has a circular pass-through window.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The areas had large pieces of Middle and Late Iron Age pottery, as well as other cooking vessels and a spindle whorl.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2025
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The self-flagellation is uncomfortable and dark, and the instrumental’s whorl of warped voices, sax melodies, and bass lines intensifies the feeling that he is trapped within his choices. 17.—
Stephen Kearse,
Vulture,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The winding two-lane road is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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For a man with his name up in lights this often, much of Merino’s winding path to cult hero at the age of 28 — via stints at Osasuna, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United and, most notably, Real Sociedad — has remained in the dark.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Ada County Highway District has responded to several problems with the roads in Eyrie Canyon, while city of Boise records show several other homeowners in the neighborhood have also applied for permits to put in helical piers.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Feb. 2025
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The first application of RM analysis to a protostellar jet revealed a definite helical magnetic field within HH 80-81.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spiral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiral. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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