Adjacent Words

Whirl definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHIRL, v.t. hwurl. [G., to whirl, to warble. L.] TO turn round rapidly; to turn with velocity.
He whirls his sword around without delay.
WHIRL, v.i.
1. To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; as the whirling spindles of a cotton machine or wheels of a coach.
The wooden engine flies and whirls about.
2. To move hastily.
--But whirld away, to shun his hateful sight.
WHIRL, n. [G.]
1. A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; as the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel; the whirl of time; the whirls of fancy.
2. Any thing that moves or is turned with velocity, particularly on an axis or pivot.
3. A hook used in twisting.
4. In botany, a species of inflorescence, consisting of many subsessile flowers surrounding the stem in a ring. It is also written whorl and wherl.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: confused movement; "he was caught up in a whirl of work"; "a commotion of people fought for the exits" [syn: whirl, commotion]
2: the shape of something rotating rapidly [syn: whirl, swirl, vortex, convolution]
3: a usually brief attempt; "he took a crack at it"; "I gave it a whirl" [syn: crack, fling, go, pass, whirl, offer]
4: the act of rotating rapidly; "he gave the crank a spin"; "it broke off after much twisting" [syn: spin, twirl, twist, twisting, whirl] v
1: turn in a twisting or spinning motion; "The leaves swirled in the autumn wind" [syn: twirl, swirl, twiddle, whirl]
2: cause to spin; "spin a coin" [syn: whirl, birl, spin, twirl]
3: flow in a circular current, of liquids [syn: eddy, purl, whirlpool, swirl, whirl]
4: revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis; "The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy" [syn: spin, spin around, whirl, reel, gyrate]
5: fly around; "The clothes tumbled in the dryer"; "rising smoke whirled in the air" [syn: whirl, tumble, whirl around]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hvirfla to whirl; akin to Old High German wirbil whirlwind, Old English hweorfan to turn — more at wharf Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to move in a circle or similar curve especially with force or speed 2. a. to turn on or around an axis like a wheel ; rotate b. to turn abruptly around or aside ; wheel <whirled around in surprise> 3. to pass, move, or go quickly <whirled down the hallway> 4. to become giddy or dizzy ; reel <my head is whirling> transitive verb 1. to drive, impel, or convey with or as if with a rotary motion 2. a. to cause to turn usually rapidly on or around an axis ; rotate b. to cause to turn abruptly around or aside 3. obsolete to throw or hurl violently with a revolving motion • whirler noun II. noun Date: 15th century 1. a. a rapid rotating or circling movement b. something undergoing such a movement 2. a. a busy or fast-paced succession of events ; bustle <a whirl of activity> <the social whirl> b. a confused or disturbed mental state ; turmoil <a whirl of febrile excitement — Emily Skeel> 3. an experimental or brief attempt ; try <gave it a whirl>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. & intr. swing round and round; revolve rapidly. 2 tr. & intr. (foll. by away) convey or go rapidly in a vehicle etc. 3 tr. & intr. send or travel swiftly in an orbit or a curve. 4 intr. a (of the brain, senses, etc.) seem to spin round. b (of thoughts etc.) be confused; follow each other in bewildering succession. --n. 1 a whirling movement (vanished in a whirl of dust). 2 a state of intense activity (the social whirl). 3 a state of confusion (my mind is in a whirl). 4 colloq. an attempt (give it a whirl). Phrases and idioms: whirling dervish see DERVISH. Derivatives: whirler n. whirlingly adv. Etymology: ME: (v.) f. ON hvirfla: (n.) f. MLG & MDu. wervel spindle & ON hvirfill circle f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whirl Whirl, n. [Cf. Dan. hvirvel, Sw. hvirfvel, Icel. hvirfill the crown of the head, G. wirbel whirl, crown of the head, D. wervel. See Whirl, v. t.] 1. A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; rapid or confusing motion; as, the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel. ``In no breathless whirl.'' --J. H. Newman. The rapid . . . whirl of things here below interrupt not the inviolable rest and calmness of the noble beings above. --South. 2. Anything that moves with a whirling motion. He saw Falmouth under gray, iron skies, and whirls of March dust. --Carlyle. 3. A revolving hook used in twisting, as the hooked spindle of a rope machine, to which the threads to be twisted are attached. 4. (Bot. & Zo["o]l.) A whorl. See Whorl.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whirl Whirl, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Whirled; p. pr. & vb. n. Whirling.] [OE. whirlen, probably from the Scand.; cf. Icel. & Sw. hvirfla, Dan. hvirvle; akin to D. wervelen, G. wirbeln, freq. of the verb seen in Icel. hverfa to turn. [root]16. See Wharf, and cf. Warble, Whorl.] 1. To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with velocity; to make to revolve. He whirls his sword around without delay. --Dryden. 2. To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch; to harry. --Chaucer. See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, That whirled the prophet up at Chebar flood. --Milton. The passionate heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly. --Tennyson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Whirl Whirl, v. i. 1. To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great speed; to gyrate. ``The whirling year vainly my dizzy eyes pursue.'' --J. H. Newman. The wooden engine flies and whirls about. --Dryden. 2. To move hastily or swiftly. But whirled away to shun his hateful sight. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(whirls, whirling, whirled) 1. If something or someone whirls around or if you whirl them around, they move around or turn around very quickly. Not receiving an answer, she whirled round... He was whirling Anne around the floor... The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column. VERB: V adv/prep, V n adv/prep, V, also V n • Whirl is also a noun. ...the barely audible whirl of wheels. N-COUNT 2. You can refer to a lot of intense activity as a whirl of activity. In half an hour's whirl of activity she does it all... Your life is such a social whirl. N-COUNT: usu sing, with supp 3. If you decide to give an activity a whirl, you do it even though it is something that you have never tried before. (INFORMAL) Why not give acupuncture a whirl?... We decided to give it a whirl. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Twirl, revolve, rotate, spin. II. v. a. Twirl, spin, wheel, turn round. III. n. Gyration, rotation.

Moby Thesaurus

Charybdis, Maelstrom, Sunday drive, ado, advance, agitation, airing, ascend, avert, back, back stream, back up, backflow, backwash, backwater, barrel, bother, botheration, brouhaha, budge, bullet, burst, bustle, centrifugate, centrifuge, change, change place, circle, circuit, circulation, circumvolution, cirrus, clatter, climb, coil, come about, commotion, contort, corkscrew, countercurrent, counterflow, counterflux, crack, crinkle, curl, curlicue, deflect, descend, disturbance, divert, dizzy round, drive, ebb, ebullience, ebullition, eddy, effervescence, embroilment, evolute, feery-fary, ferment, fermentation, fetch about, fidgetiness, fit, flap, fleet, flit, flow, flurry, fluster, flutter, flutteriness, fume, furore, fuss, fussiness, get over, go, go about, go around, go round, go sideways, gulf, gurge, gyrate, gyration, gyre, hassle, heel, helix, hubbub, hullabaloo, hurly-burly, hurry, hurry-scurry, intort, involute, joyride, kink, lift, mad round, maelstrom, meander, merry-go-round, moil, mount, move, move over, pell-mell, perturbation, pickup, pirouette, pivot, pivot about, plunge, pop, pother, progress, purl, put about, rat race, reel, refluence, reflux, regress, regurgitation, restlessness, retrogress, ride, ringlet, rise, roll, rotate, rotation, round, round of pleasure, ruction, ruffle, run, scallop, scramble, screw, scroll, serpentine, sheer, shift, shot, sink, slap, slink, snake, soar, spasm, speed, spin, spiral, spurt, stab, stagger, stave, stew, stir, storm, stream, subside, surge, sweat, swim, swing, swing round, swirl, swirling, swivel, tendril, the dizzy rounds, the rounds, to-do, travel, try, tumult, turbulence, turmoil, turn, turn about, turn around, turn round, turn tail, twine, twirl, twist, twist and turn, unquiet, uproar, veer, veer around, volte-face, volute, volution, vortex, wane, whack, wheel, wheel about, whip, whirligig, whirlpool, whirlwind, whish, whisk, whiz, whorl, wind, worm, wring, yeastiness