1
as in rotation
a rapid turning about on an axis or central point
the whirl of the mechanical ride made him dizzy
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2
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
so many changes at once had her all in a whirl
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in stir
a state of noisy, confused activity
lost an earring in the whirl of the party
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1
2
3
as in to rotate
to move in circles around an axis or center
the gambler held his breath as the roulette wheel whirled
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4
as in to speed
to proceed or move quickly
cars whirling by on the highway
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of whirl
Dennis Mersereau, WIRED, 22 July 2024
Joel’s recording is not bad at all, but if only someone like Bobby Womack had given it a whirl!
21.
—Christopher Bonanos, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2024
EW.com, 3 Oct. 2024
In a trice couples formed, and the dancers whirled away more wildly, more extravagantly than before, for all the lads and lasses were fired with ambition to show us how real Hungarians could dance.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whirl 
Noun
Survey crews determined the fire whirl produced winds stronger than 140 mph, which is the equivalent of a strong EF-3 tornado.
—Dennis Mersereau, WIRED, 22 July 2024
Joel’s recording is not bad at all, but if only someone like Bobby Womack had given it a whirl!
21.
—Christopher Bonanos, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
Moments earlier, before the rotor blades whirled, director Ali Abbasi was getting nervous.
—EW.com, 3 Oct. 2024
In a trice couples formed, and the dancers whirled away more wildly, more extravagantly than before, for all the lads and lasses were fired with ambition to show us how real Hungarians could dance.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whirl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirl
Noun
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At some point, Musselman would prefer to cut his rotation down to a much smaller number.Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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Williams had just 12 catches for 166 yards across his nine games, and then fell even more out of the rotation with the addition of star wideout Davante Adams.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In Arizona, that ruling left confusion between two conflicting laws, and temporarily stopped clinics from providing abortions as courts worked out what was legal in the state.Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
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The crowd immediately erupted into laughter while Dismukes looked between the two in confusion.Shania Russell, EW.com, 3 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Speakers at a Trump rally in New York City last weekend caused a stir when a comedian made inappropriate jokes about Latinos and Puerto Rico.Amie Parnes, The Hill, 3 Nov. 2024
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The Trump era has even affected some of the dynamics at the high school where Joe teaches; particularly when Trump first ran, students brought Trump banners to school, causing a stir.Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Meanwhile, South Dakota is also on its third try at legal adult-use.Zack Huffman, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
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After a few more tries, Bronze — who will turn 2 later this month — gives up and shakes the dandelion pieces onto the ground.Raven Brunner, People.com, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Hurricane season still swirling:Rafael could threaten US later this week Patty no longer a tropical cyclone The hurricane center said Monday that Patty is no longer a tropical storm or cyclone in the far eastern Atlantic Ocean.Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
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At medium doses, that vivid picture of the world begins to dissolve into classically psychedelic imagery: swirling geometric patterns, flashing colors and shapes, and a general deconstruction of ordinary perception into chaos.Oshan Jarow, Vox, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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In one of the more impressive moments from the set, DJ Jahi Sundance spun vocal samples from Erykah Badu and Thundercat as the band expertly weaved around them.William E. Ketchum III, VIBE.com, 5 Nov. 2024
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Then, to understand how well the mud flowed, the researchers placed some on a machine called a rheometer that spun the sample and measured its viscosity.Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Morris Brown, the family practice physician who owns the clinic, rotated through Black patients nearly every 20 minutes.Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
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Altair rotates at a blistering pace of once every seven hours, represented by a spinning motif.Lane Sainty, The Arizona Republic, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Three years later, wildlife experts enlisted a team of local helpers for just 24 hours to speed up the area’s environmental recovery.Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024
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Continue to speed up the container, and more of these perfect tornadoes will slither in from the rim.Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Whirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirl. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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