whirl 1 of 2

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
3
4
as in try
an effort to do or accomplish something I'm pretty good at fixing things, so how about if I give it a whirl?

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whirl

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to stir
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly whirled the chocolate syrup into the milk with a spoon

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2
as in to spin
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis the figure skater whirled his partner with effortless grace

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3
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5
as in to swim
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around my mind whirled from all of the excitement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of whirl
Noun
Zemlinsky, who also mentored Schoenberg, discerned real promise in Mahler-Werfel but chided her for getting distracted by the social whirl. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025 Give the belt bag trend a whirl for yourself with these similar hands-free bags from Amazon, starting at just $16. Emily Weaver, People.com, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
The mission plan called for only Isaacman and Gillis to leave the Dragon’s confines, taking 10-minute turns to peek out at the starry firmament and the world whirling far below. Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2024 Matthews whirled around the net and threw the puck out front. Fluto Shinzawa, The Athletic, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for whirl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirl
Noun
  • Gerrit Cole's Tommy John surgery created one more opening in the rotation.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
  • That shoulder meant the Twins spent the rest of the season trotting out three rookies in the rotation.
    Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In other words, bills still need to be paid no matter the confusion of politicians eager to distort the pricing mechanism that organizes the market economy.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The infected person may experience anxiety, confusion, agitation and hallucinations, per the health agency.
    Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The news, which surfaced late last week when letters to these vendors from Chief Procurement Officer Sharla Roberts were shared with the media, caused an immediate stir and prompted some aldermen to publicly advise contractors not to comply with the request.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Fans of this show based on a treatment by the legendary Bruce Lee caused enough of a stir that it was eventually renewed for Max exclusively, airing a third season on the streaming service.
    Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Yarden Garzon led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting (41.5 percent on almost seven tries per game), while fifth-year guard Sydney Parrish and Penn State transfer Shay Ciezki also looked confident from long distance.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The restart and the end of Larson’s triple try After winning Friday night’s Craftsman Truck Series Baptist Health 200, Larson started 17th Saturday.
    DAVID J. NEAL, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Rumors of a romance first swirled after the duo were photographed in November 2024 at a Halloween party, that .Paak captured on Instagram.
    Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The Fed last week left interest rates unchanged, an acknowledgement of the uncertainty swirling around the economy.
    Lucia Mutikani, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • With Atletico midfielder Koke attempting to cover the distance, Cardoso spins his marker and pushes the ball forward, creating separation on the halfway line.
    Elias Burke, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Speaking of encouraging starts, Carlos Rodón spun one from the mound.
    Gary Phillips, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The dining room on the floor below has deep red carpets, gold chairs, burl wood walls in a herringbone pattern and reflective metallic paint on the ceiling that intensifies the rotating 360 degree views.
    Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Powered by the automatic Rolex cal. 3175, its GMT hand was still slaved to the local hour hand, meaning that a second time zone could only be tracked using the rotating bezel.
    Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • To make those procedures work well, the legislators might increase the budget for the judicial system by a tiny amount earmarked just to speed along these proceedings.
    Joshua Stein, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • The system, designed by Lufthansa Technik for Bombardier, is a spectrum of 24 pre-programmed daylight settings to naturally speed up one’s biological clock.
    Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 19 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Whirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirl. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

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