whirl
verb /wɜːl/
/wɜːrl/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they whirl | /wɜːl/ /wɜːrl/ |
| he / she / it whirls | /wɜːlz/ /wɜːrlz/ |
| past simple whirled | /wɜːld/ /wɜːrld/ |
| past participle whirled | /wɜːld/ /wɜːrld/ |
| -ing form whirling | /ˈwɜːlɪŋ/ /ˈwɜːrlɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to move, or make somebody/something move, around quickly in a circle or in a particular direction synonym spin
- (+ adv./prep.) Leaves whirled in the wind.
- She whirled around to face him.
- They ducked to avoid the whirling blades of the helicopter.
- whirl somebody/something (+ adv./prep.) Tom whirled her across the dance floor.
Extra Examples- He grasped her wrist and whirled her back to face him.
- He whirled her around the dance floor.
- She whirled on him, furious.
- She whirled round and round, flinging out her arms.
- The gulls were whirling and shrieking in the sky above.
- [intransitive] if your mind, thoughts, etc. whirl, you feel confused and excited and cannot think clearly synonym reel
- I couldn't sleep—my mind was whirling from all that had happened.
- So many thoughts whirled around in her mind.
Word OriginMiddle English: the verb probably from Old Norse hvirfla ‘turn about’; the noun partly from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch wervel ‘spindle’, or from Old Norse hvirfill ‘circle’, from a Germanic base meaning ‘rotate’.