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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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
Katie Hunt, CNN, 19 Sep. 2024
Carpenter said the weather service doesn’t issue tornado warnings when fire whirls develop because residents in the area should already be evacuated.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 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
Huang and the team also found that the paint, at the smallest scale, mixes around with some background swirls and whirls in a fashion predicted by turbulence theory, following a statistical pattern known as Batchelor’s scaling.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 19 Sep. 2024
Carpenter said the weather service doesn’t issue tornado warnings when fire whirls develop because residents in the area should already be evacuated.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 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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Queen Camilla is shining one of Queen Elizabeth's tiaras, a brand new addition to her royal rotation.Janine Henni, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024
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For a snippet of the fourth quarter Friday, Malone abandoned his center rotation altogether.Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 11 Nov. 2024
Noun
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For their colleagues, the result is confusion, mistrust and frustration.Jonathan Gill, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
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According to interviews from The Classic TV History Blog, the actual event took place in Texas and used a truck instead of a helicopter despite some confusion about the origins among the show's personnel.Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The director of The Seed of the Sacred Fig — now Germany’s official submission for Best International Feature Film — Rasoulof caused a stir earlier this year when his film, his 10th, was selected for Cannes.Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 Nov. 2024
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LaGuardia’s furry fugitive is not the only raccoon to have caused a stir this year.Sara Smart, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024
Noun
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An elderly man passing by asks Lorber about the model of his ‘scope while two EMTs carrying a stretcher try to maneuver past our small group.Abbey Stone, SELF, 31 Oct. 2024
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Every day, consumers are breaking down and giving one of these tools a try and, intrigued by the results, might try again for another task.Samuel Burke, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks about the future of Bucks superstar and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.Rahat Huq, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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Tuesday’s win, however, comes as questions continue to swirl about his future in House GOP leadership.Mike Lillis, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Cotton can be used for textile-to-textile recycling, however fibers can only be shredded and spun into new textiles so many times before the fibers get too short and quality and strength suffers.Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2024
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Extracting the starch requires a large quantity of energy and water, so chemists are looking for a more efficient way to spin these nanofibers.Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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To fix this, leaders should hold regular office hours with CEOs and directors, rotating participants and focusing on empowerment, not complaints.Expert Panel®, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
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In this image made from video provided by National Weather Service Portland office, a powerful storm also called a 'bomb cyclone' rotates off the U.S. West Coast on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.CBS News, CBS News, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Keep them away from any fruits and vegetables that naturally emit ethylene, a gas that speeds up ripening of anything in their orbit.Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2024
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Formula 1 is speeding back to Las Vegas this weekend, and prolific Dutchman Max Verstappen—who holds a 62-point lead over Lando Norris—could wrap up his fourth straight championship.Nasha Smith, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Whirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirl. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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