coils 1 of 2

noun

plural of coil
as in disturbances
a state of noisy, confused activity amidst the coil of the office renovations, we even managed to get some work done

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

coils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of coil
as in curls
to follow a circular or spiral course a vine coiling around a pillar

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 coils
Noun
Unlike quiches, frittatas are crustless, but this version doesn’t skimp on satisfying carbs, thanks to coils of spaghetti that become crisp and caramelized on the edges and soft and fluffy in the eggy center. — Lizzy Briskin, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Oct. 2026 This creates eddy currents, which increase the coils’ effective inductance, following Lenz’s law. — ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026 For a decade, hundreds of Black women and girls have gathered in Kansas City wearing curls, coils, locs, braids and Afros for an annual photograph intended to challenge narrow ideas about what beautiful hair is supposed to look like. — Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026 The construction pairs adjustable foam with pocket coils, which iSense says combines familiar hybrid components with the option for each sleeper to adjust how firm or soft their side feels. — Malana Vantyler, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 The shade switch signaled that the singer is officially entering a new era, one that’s no longer defined by the fiery red feature or banana coils. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 27 Sep. 2026 This allows massive electrical currents to flow through small coils without wasting energy as heat. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026 During the recent session, Soto taught people how to make coils for teardrop designs along with other simple shapes. — Janice Neumann, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026 Underground heating coils keep the natural-grass field from freezing, while roof sensors monitor snowfall and activate the world’s largest stadium snow-melt system. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
Refrigerator Coils The condenser coils responsible for keeping your appliance functioning become covered in dust over time. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 27 July 2026 Dry all surfaces completely and replace knobs, drip pans, and coils back on the stove. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 July 2026 Visitors are typically brought by elevator to the uppermost exhibition level and then follow a broad, gently descending ramp that coils around a central void. — Bridget Borgobello may 30, New Atlas, 30 May 2026 When startled, the snake coils its body into a figure-eight shape or raises its tail to mimic another head and confuse predators. — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coils
  1. disturbances
  2. winds
  3. commotions
  4. stirs
  5. rackets
  6. rows
  7. noises
  8. turmoils
Noun
  • However, existing machines have only hundreds to thousands of qubits, and environmental disturbances can introduce errors during computation.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Sleep disturbances and difficulty concentrating can also affect emotional well-being, and for some women, these symptoms can interfere with everyday activities and quality of life.
    — Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbances
Verb
  • Top stories Fires Crews are battling a fire in Malibu as SoCal braces for another day of Santa Ana winds.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The narrative winds in and out of time, masterfully jumping between past and future with no consideration to chronology.
    — Sky Davis, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of winds
Noun
  • Over the past year, men’s ski jumping has been marred by Norway’s cheating scandal and more recent genital manipulation rumors, which has become one of the early commotions of the Milano-Cortina Games.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of commotions
Noun
  • Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk.
    — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of stirs
Noun
  • Their rackets—plunder, opium trafficking, and much else—were often run not by members of established yakuza gangs but by fixers and political operators who exploited their connections with the Imperial Japanese Army.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Those trunks held an eclectic assortment of products including tennis rackets, fishing rods, golf bags and men’s ties, dress shirts and suits.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of rackets
Noun
  • Ohtani didn’t rule anything out in his postgame scrum, several rows deep, in front of his locker after the Dodgers’ 6-4 defeat in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
    — Mirjam Swanson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The ICUs were quiet also, because rows of patients slowly dying on ventilators don’t make noise.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rows
Noun
  • Before the recent barn owl sightings, Williams and her husband heard periodic screeching noises outside going back to early September.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Screeching was heard by residents Before the recent barn owl sightings, Williams and her husband heard periodic screeching noises outside going back to early September.
    — Joseph B. Frederick, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of noises
Noun
  • About two couples, connected and dependent on one another, raising their kids alongside each other, facing the same turmoils, the same existential questions.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Mayer and Strong offer a broad pop-history lesson, in which the same tensions and turmoils churn on and on in their terrible cycle throughout the decades; the only thing that’s changed are the aesthetics.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of turmoils

Browse Nearby Words

coiling
coils
coin
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Coils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coils. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vocation

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All