as in spiraling
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in stirring
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly
kept swirling her lemonade until the ice had melted and it was completely watered down
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rotating
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis
swirled her skirts as she danced the tango
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 swirling
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Lowery manifests that vision as a swirling tangle of red fabric that acquires an almost corporeal form, a mesmerizing jolt of color in the sumptuous darkness of DP Andrew Droz Palermo’s visuals (Rina Yang shot the concert scenes).
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Under the exquisite surface is something quite moving, a grieving family grappling with the kinds of big, swirling, complicated feelings that make life hard and art great.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Takumi Matsuzawa Matsuzawa studies turbulence, or the chaotic motions of swirling fluids.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Augusta National can still take a bite out of anyone with enough swirling gusts to bring indecision, or bad shots that wind up in the wrong spot.
—Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Strong winds carried thick, swirling clouds of sand and dust across the area as the bride and groom were holding hands amid their photo shoot.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026
Scientists have now made this possible by creating optical tornadoes (also called optical vortices)—tiny, swirling structures of light inside a microscopic system.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Rumors have been swirling that the iPhone's 20th anniversary will bring some big changes for some time.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2026
Motorola sells plenty of phones, but mostly its cheap ones, and with rumors swirling that OnePlus is planning to shut its US operations, there might be even fewer choices soon.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
Learning discernment in a world swirling with constant noise.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Sections of the granite supports of the Keck statue are cannily manipulated and embellished with stars and swirling vortex-forms in Lithichrome paint into works of art themselves.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Whiskey-making has long been considered a masculine profession in America, a drink exclusively enjoyed by men swirling golden liquid in dark, smoky rooms.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
In the show’s premiere, rumors started swirling that Swanson might be a polygamist or possibly had another boyfriend.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 20 Apr. 2026
But rotavirus and drug-resistant shigella cases are swirling around more than before.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The news comes amid swirling reports and speculation about a number of cases.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2026
Lowery manifests that vision as a swirling tangle of red fabric that acquires an almost corporeal form, a mesmerizing jolt of color in the sumptuous darkness of DP Andrew Droz Palermo’s visuals (Rina Yang shot the concert scenes).
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Under the exquisite surface is something quite moving, a grieving family grappling with the kinds of big, swirling, complicated feelings that make life hard and art great.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Takumi Matsuzawa Matsuzawa studies turbulence, or the chaotic motions of swirling fluids.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
Augusta National can still take a bite out of anyone with enough swirling gusts to bring indecision, or bad shots that wind up in the wrong spot.
—Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
Strong winds carried thick, swirling clouds of sand and dust across the area as the bride and groom were holding hands amid their photo shoot.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 9 Apr. 2026
Scientists have now made this possible by creating optical tornadoes (also called optical vortices)—tiny, swirling structures of light inside a microscopic system.
—Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Mar. 2026
Fincke identified himself late last month as the one who was sick to end the swirling public speculation.
—Ben Kelly, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
There’s a lot of controversy swirling around surveillance technology, and Atlanta is a hotbed of it.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Rumors have been swirling that the iPhone's 20th anniversary will bring some big changes for some time.
—Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2026
Motorola sells plenty of phones, but mostly its cheap ones, and with rumors swirling that OnePlus is planning to shut its US operations, there might be even fewer choices soon.
—Dominic Preston, The Verge, 25 Apr. 2026
Learning discernment in a world swirling with constant noise.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Sections of the granite supports of the Keck statue are cannily manipulated and embellished with stars and swirling vortex-forms in Lithichrome paint into works of art themselves.
—Horace D. Ballard, Artforum, 22 Apr. 2026
Whiskey-making has long been considered a masculine profession in America, a drink exclusively enjoyed by men swirling golden liquid in dark, smoky rooms.
—ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026
In the show’s premiere, rumors started swirling that Swanson might be a polygamist or possibly had another boyfriend.
—Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 20 Apr. 2026
But rotavirus and drug-resistant shigella cases are swirling around more than before.
—Rob Williams, EverydayHealth.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swirling
Adjective
-
Still annoyed, weirdly offended, and slightly spiraling.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Violent confrontations targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota are being driven by outside actors exploiting chaos, not organic protest, according to a protest insider warning that the situation is rapidly spiraling.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Add onion and celery; cook until tender, stirring occasionally.—
Maddy Bendgen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2026
-
By evening, disruptive Uranus enters your 12th House of Secrets and Solitude, stirring dreams, memories, and subconscious patterns.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Astrobotic put its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) through its paces for the first time.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The show, which films at Joe Rogan’s Comedy Mothership in Austin, Texas, combines stand-up, improv and the classic comedy roast, with Hinchcliffe and a rotating slate of guest judge comedians roasting wannabe stand-ups seeking a minute to launch their act.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Aaron Gordon sat at his locker twirling the tape from his finger, unable to wrap his head around a stunning 119-114 defeat.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
21 Apr. 2026
-
But as soon as one flagellar motor reverses direction and starts rotating clockwise, the bundle falls apart; the reverse-twirling filament unravels the braid and puts the cell’s flagellar motors at cross-purposes, kicking the cell around.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The film is set in Mumbai and built around a miserly protagonist whose circumstances spiral into escalating absurdity.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The signature spiral silhouette for the ring captures the idea of infinite motion within a sculptural form.—
Fairchild Studio,
Footwear News,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Off the coast of Rhode IslandAP — Offshore wind turbines roughly three times the height of the Statue of Liberty were spinning far off the coast of Rhode Island on Thursday, sending clean electricity to the region.—
Jennifer McDermott,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Booth, Guiteau, Czolgosz, Oswald must all be spinning in their graves!—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Footage from the scene shows the group obeying police instructions when a plain clothes officer grabbed Salman’s hand, twisting it and causing a fracture in her wrist.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Talk to more than a dozen people at varying levels of involvement with the movie’s long and twisting journey to the screen, however, and a kind of dual narrative emerges.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The main performance is scheduled to include aerial acrobatics, bondage, burlesque and drag performers from groups such as The Dragonettes, AKArts Collective and others with hypnotic live looping and vocal music from Morgan Sorne.—
Anne Schrager,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Tight baseline battles, pressure from Shelton and counterattacks from Ruud, using the violent topspin of those big looping forehands.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swirling. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
