spiralspiral2 verb (past tense and past participle spiralled, present participle spiralling British English, spiraled, spiraling American English) [intransitive] 
The damaged plane spiralled to the ground.2if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc in a way that cannot be controlled: Crime has spiraled out of control.3if debt or the cost of something spirals, it increases quickly in a way that cannot be controlled SYN escalate—spiralling British English,—spiraling American English adjective: the spiralling cost of legal services
VERB TABLE
spiral
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | spiral |
| he, she, it | spirals | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | spiralled (BrE), spiraled (AmE) |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have spiralled (BrE), spiraled (AmE) |
| he, she, it | has spiralled (BrE), spiraled (AmE) | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had spiralled (BrE), spiraled (AmE) |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will spiral |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have spiralled (BrE), spiraled (AmE) |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) |
| he, she, it | is spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) | |
| you, we, they | are spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) |
| you, we, they | were spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) |
| he, she, it | has been spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been spiralling (BrE), spiraling (AmE) |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Since the project started five years ago, costs have spiralled.
- Smoke spiralled upward from the chimney.
- We watched the leaves spiral down from the trees in the cold autumn wind.
- With inflation spiralling out of control, the country was close to economic collapse.
- A black whirlwind, they fill the air with the click of leathery wings as they spiral through the trees.
- At a more complex psychological level, motion that spirals clockwise connects us to the Sun.
- Entranced, she watched herself watching them as they spiralled to earth around her.
- However, Clinton has disregarded the debt ceiling law, allowing the nation to spiral further into debt.
- Too much was happening that he couldn't explain, things were spiralling out of his control.
THESAURUS
to move around a central or fixed point: · The wheels of the train began to turn.
(also go round British English) to turn around a central point. Go around is a little more informal than turn and is very common in everyday English: · When the fan goes around, the warm air is pushed back downwards.
to turn around and around a central point. Rotate and revolve are more formal than turn and sound more technical: · The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.· The stage revolves at various points during the performance.
to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.
to spin around extremely quickly, often in a powerful or uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled overhead.
to spin around quickly, especially as part of a dance or performance: · The couples were twirling around on the dance floor.
to move around quickly in a circular movement, especially when the movement goes outwards or upwards from the center: · Her white skirt swirled around her legs as she danced.· The leaves began to swirl around.
to move in a continuous curve that gets nearer to or further from its central point as it goes around: · The smoke spiralled toward the ceiling.
Longman Language Activatorto increase quickly or suddenly if something such as a price, number, or temperature shoots up , it increases quickly and suddenly: · As long as mortgage rates do not shoot up, property should remain a good investment.shoot up to: · US exports to Mexico have already shot up to 130% since 1985.· A year ago the magazine had a circulation of 150,000, but since then that figure has shot up to an astonishing 2 million.
to increase quickly to a high level: soar into: · Temperatures soared into the nineties.· The cost of a business Website can soar into millions of dollars.soar to: · Last year, the drugs haul soared to 130,00 tablets.· The death toll soars to 376 in Chicago from last week's heat wave.soar by 40%/£300/1 million etc: · In the first year of peace, Lebanon's GDP soared by almost 40%.
also skyrocket if costs, prices, profits, sales etc rocket , they increase very quickly to a very high level: · Interest rates have skyrocketed as credit has become scarce.· Why has the dollar rocketed against the yen in particular?rocket to: · Gold prices rocketed to their highest level since 1983.
informal if prices go through the roof , they increase to an extremely high level: · Following news of increased profits, the company's share price went through the roof.· Sales of Ray-Ban sunglasses went through the roof after Tom Cruise wore them in 'Risky Business'.
if a debt or the cost of something spirals , it increases very quickly and uncontrollably: · Since the project started five years ago, costs have spiralled.· With inflation spiralling out of control, the country was close to economic collapse.
if numbers or prices take off , they begin to increase quickly after a long period when they did not increase: · With the introduction of user-friendly software, home computer sales suddenly took off.· Internet shopping will really take off when people become convinced that it is secure.
to go around in circles if something turns , it moves around a fixed central point: · Slowly the wheels of the train began to turn.· I heard the door knob turning, and then Frank opened the door and tiptoed in.· As the propeller stopped turning, Grady ran up to the plane.
also go round British to move in a continuous circular movement: · When the fan goes around it forces the warm air back down.· The gear was going round, but it didn't seem to be catching on anything.
to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.· The wheels were spinning in the mud, but the car wouldn't move.spin aroundalso + round British: · The boy was spinning around in his father's desk chair.
to turn around and around a fixed point: · The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.· A disco ball revolved slowly over the empty dance floor.· The stage rotates giving the audience a constantly changing view.
also go/run/drive etc round in circles especially British to go, run, drive etc continuously or repeatedly around in a circular way: · The children went round in circles till the music stopped.· We were driving around in circles, weaving through the parking lot.
also go/run/drive etc round and round British to go around in circles many times: · Billy will sit and watch his train going round and round on its little track for hours.· The steers walked restlessly around and around their pen.
to spin around extremely quickly, often in an uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled powerfully overhead.whirl aroundalso + round British: · Flies whirled round the piles of sticky sweets.· Dust and sand were whirling around in the air, as the desert wind began to get stronger.
to move slowly upwards or downwards in a circular way around a central point, while also moving either in towards the centre or out from it: · Smoke spiralled upward from the chimney.· We watched the leaves spiral down from the trees in the cold autumn wind.
if water, dust, mist etc swirls , it keeps turning around quickly in a twisting, circular movement: · Dust swirled like smoke in the evening sunshine.swirl aroundalso round British: · Jessie's pale dress swirled round her slender ankles.· The wind swirling around the tree had blown all the snow away from its trunk.
if a bird or aircraft circles , it flies around above a particular place, waiting for something: · We all looked towards the sky where the vultures were circling.· The plane circled the runway several times before landing.circle overhead/above etc: · Helicopters circled overhead, trying to get pictures of the crime scene.
if someone twirls, they spin around very quickly, especially as part of a dance: · Rachel took her father's hand and twirled in and out under his arm.twirl around/about: · Half a dozen couples were twirling about to a waltz.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Crime has spiraled out of control.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES She was caught in a downward spiral of drink and drugs. A new round of wage increases could trigger an inflationary spiral (=a continuing rise in both wages and prices).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
1[always + adverb/preposition] to move in a continuous curve that gets nearer to or further from its central point as it goes roundspiral to/around etc Crime has spiraled out of control. She was caught in a downward spiral of drink and drugs. (=inflation that is increasing quickly and out of control)· Argentina was suffering from spiralling inflation.
A new round of wage increases could trigger an inflationary spiral (=a continuing rise in both wages and prices).· And she felt herself spiralling down into the fiery darkness.· Those arriving high in the sky descend by banking sharply on out-stretched wings, then spiral down.· He says it will spiral down to 1,800 by next year.· Soon afterwards a wind sent the last of its bright leaves spiralling down.· To lose height pilots have to spiral down to the runway.· Eighty-seven steps spiralling down sixty feet below ground level, into the Foot Tunnel beneath the Thames.
· Yet, the fact that costs have been spiralling out of control is evident.· Adler launched into Summertime-that glorious thing he has been playing since he worked with Gershwin, spinning out spiralling improvisations.· But that was the day the crisis spiralled out of control.· But is borrowing spiralling out of control?· The holy water spiralled out of the bottle and hit Vlad full in the chest.
· Blue magnesium flares went spiralling up into the chilly night.· This marble figure seems to flame and spiral up, surging, groaning like an earthquake, subsiding even as he rises.· In the wall opposite her was a landing from which concrete steps spiralled up and down.· Flame-shaped bulbs spiralled up from gold-tone leaves.
NOUN· Too much was happening that he couldn't explain, things were spiralling out of his control.· Yet, the fact that costs have been spiralling out of control is evident.· But that was the day the crisis spiralled out of control.· But is borrowing spiralling out of control?
The damaged plane spiralled to the ground.2if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc in a way that cannot be controlled: Crime has spiraled out of control.3if debt or the cost of something spirals, it increases quickly in a way that cannot be controlled SYN escalate—spiralling British English,—spiraling American English adjective: the spiralling cost of legal services- intercollegiate
- intercom
- interconnect
- interconnection
- intercontinental
- intercourse
- intercut
- interdenominational
- interdepartmental
- interdependence
- interdependent
- interdependently
- interdict
- interdiction
- interdisciplinary
- interest
- interested
- interestedly
- interest-free
- interest group
- interesting
- interestingly
- interest rate
- interface
- interfaith