whirling 1 of 2

adjective

as in giddy
having a feeling of being whirled about and in danger of falling down still whirling from the amusement park ride, I needed to sit down

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whirling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of whirl
1
as in swirling
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 rotating
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
as in revolving
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 flying
to proceed or move quickly cars whirling by on the highway

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

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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 whirling
Adjective
The magnetar was initially surrounded by a whirling disk of matter, funneling from its inner edge onto the stellar remnant. — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
The night before our spaghetti dinner, Caleb sat me down by the cabin’s large, whirling fireplace and talked to me about meatballs for two hours. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026 Maybe my favorite styling element of all on this car is the whirling radiator fan sitting atop the engine, 917-style. — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 15 Oct. 2026 The whirling magnetic states arise in these non-Heisenberg compounds partly because the local atomic environment creates a strong crystal electric field. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026 The combat scenes, frequently pitting Latif’s sharpened steel against more popular American weaponry, are staged with whirling verve, wit and, best of all, balletic coherence. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026 The room grows as silent as this whirling slot machine of a city can get. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026 The sounds of generators humming and chain saws whirling filled the neighborhood Thursday afternoon. — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 Too bad then that Sophie is such a softie, secretly inviting the whirling dervish to their two days of rest and relaxation. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2026 Twenty-four hours later, my brain is still whirling over yesterday’s stunning news from Merck and Moderna about the success of their personalized mRNA cancer therapy in a melanoma late-stage clinical trial. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirling
  1. giddy
  2. swirling
  3. rotating
  4. revolving
  5. flying
  6. spinning
  7. dizzy
  8. stirring
Adjective
  • However, between a two-game injury absence for Gaines and Riley taking it to another gear, the 5-foot-10 running back is now giving Bronco fans giddy memories of 2024 Ashton Jeanty.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This story of an artificial intelligence in extreme existential crisis is primarily constructed for MCU superfans, the kind who get giddy over Easter eggs and can recite reams of backstory minutiae off the top of their domes.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of giddy
Verb
  • Outside, the Santa Ana winds sent debris swirling with powerful gusts.
    — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • As for the suites, the highlight is their private terraces, peaceful havens from which to admire, paradoxically, the urban whirlwind swirling below.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of swirling
Verb
  • But the spacecraft sets were too elaborate to recreate onboard, so Gosling performed on wire rigs, including a rotating harness.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
  • There will be 48-hour flash deals rotating throughout the event, with specific categories up to 40% off.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotating
Verb
  • Are members using overdrafts, payday-style borrowing or revolving debt less over time?
    — Anand Solanki, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Court papers filed in that lawsuit show that the loan was set up as a revolving line of credit that allowed Boston Finance Group to borrow chunks of money from CSNT over time.
    — Cristian Benavides, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolving
Verb
  • D’haene said the company also wants to identify practical applications beyond leisure flying.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
  • For many years people believed that light was made out of particles flying in straight rays.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of flying
Verb
  • Antetokounmpo also blocked a Noah Clowney dunk attempt a few minutes later, and then got the ball back for a spinning finger roll on the other end.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Use one of the big red buttons to listen to whatever is spinning live on NTS Channel 1 and Channel 2, or scroll through a rotary dial to listen to one of 16 music-only radio streams.
    — Kevin Cortez, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of spinning
Adjective
  • To that end, there are questions about whether Mayich and his teammates had access to sufficient water and the degree of attention ASU paid to his initial symptoms, including feeling dizzy.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Back in June, Richie cut a performance short after speaking on stage about feeling dizzy, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported at the time.
    — Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of dizzy
Verb
  • Instead of stirring resentment or scorn, the films inspired people.
    — David Hajdu, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Colleagues might be chopping, stirring and whipping up a meal on the other side of your video call.
    — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of stirring

Browse Nearby Words

whirled
whirling
whirlpool
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Cite this Entry

“Whirling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirling. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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