1
as in rotation
a rapid turning about on an axis or central point
the whirl of the mechanical ride made him dizzy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in confusion
a state of mental uncertainty
so many changes at once had her all in a whirl
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of whirl
Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2024
The festive season is officially upon us, so what better time to give it a whirl?
—Riann Phillip, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Jamie Lang, Variety, 26 Oct. 2024
Without any boundaries, the AI is going to keep whirling and calculating, possibly until the end of time.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whirl 
Noun
This disk whirls around at such a rapid pace that the material within it glows white-hot and ionizes, transforming into a dense plasma roiling with magnetic fields.
—Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2024
The festive season is officially upon us, so what better time to give it a whirl?
—Riann Phillip, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
Inside people’s heads, their eyes turn and whirl as their bodies twist into unnatural shapes.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 26 Oct. 2024
Without any boundaries, the AI is going to keep whirling and calculating, possibly until the end of time.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whirl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirl
Noun
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Sims drew the start in Towns’ absence, but the rotation remains a concern for a team with playoff aspirations.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2025
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However, adding depth to their rotation behind Skubal (like Stroman) would be a big boost.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The issue is Jurgens is dealing with a back injury, hence the confusion about his playing at all.—
Joel Thayer,
Newsweek,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Fogelman likes to play around with time to create mysteries within otherwise straightforward narratives, and that’s how Paradise works, introducing little points of confusion and then filling in the backstory with flashbacks to flesh things out.—
Daniel Fienberg,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza also created a stir about whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should attend or not.—
Vanessa Gera,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Jan. 2025
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Europe wasn’t the only place where beauty IPOs created a stir in 2024.—
Jennifer Weil,
WWD,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Matt Painter has these guys playing slowly, down to 326th in shot tries.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
-
But what makes our own effort worthy of admiration is not the perfection of the first try, but the effort of pushing into uncomfortable territory, and by trying over and over again, despite the stumble and failure!—
Nathan Furr,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The question is already swirling Dec. 10, 2024 Becerra last week demurred when asked about his plans days after leaving his federal post.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Jan. 2025
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The Dallas Cowboys made the stunning decision to hire offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer as the team’s head coach after the team split from Mike McCarthy and rumors swirled about Deion Sanders’ interest in the job.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Scientists traced one to the turbulent, magnetically active region around a rapidly spinning star called a magnetar.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
26 Jan. 2025
-
Accelerate Gradually Avoid sudden acceleration, which can cause tires to spin.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
These counter height stools have a 360-degree rotating seat, so users can seamlessly swivel to face towards or away from the counter.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
27 Jan. 2025
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The third slot will see Ella Langley, Anne Wilson, Gavin Adcock and Corey Kent rotating through the show-opening position.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Graphic by Sohail Al-Jamea & David Newcomb The bicycle lane on Stockton Boulevard is barely two feet wide in most places, leaving cyclists a few inches from speeding traffic.—
Ryan Lillis,
Sacramento Bee,
17 Jan. 2025
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Once inaugurated, President Trump can speed things along by gathering the remnants of America’s sleepy and fragmented maritime bureaucracy under the umbrella of an empowered and dynamic maritime leader—in a new Cabinet-level post or a high-level Directorship at the National Security Council.—
Craig Hooper,
Forbes,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near whirl
Cite this Entry
“Whirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirl. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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