SWIRL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does swirl mean? 

• SWIRL (noun)
  The noun SWIRL has 1 sense:

1. the shape of something rotating rapidly

  Familiarity information: SWIRL used as a noun is very rare.

• SWIRL (verb)
  The verb SWIRL has 2 senses:

1. turn in a twisting or spinning motion

2. flow in a circular current, of liquids

  Familiarity information: SWIRL used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SWIRL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The shape of something rotating rapidly

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

convolution; swirl; vortex; whirl

Hypernyms ("swirl" is a kind of...):

round shape (a shape that is curved and without sharp angles)

Derivation:

swirl (flow in a circular current, of liquids)

swirl (turn in a twisting or spinning motion)

• SWIRL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they swirl    ... he / she / it swirls   
Past simple: swirled   
Past participle: swirled   
-ing form: swirling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Turn in a twisting or spinning motion

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

swirl; twiddle; twirl; whirl

Context example:

The leaves swirled in the autumn wind

Hypernyms (to "swirl" is one way to...):

go around; revolve; rotate (turn on or around an axis or a center)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

swirl (the shape of something rotating rapidly)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Flow in a circular current, of liquids

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

eddy; purl; swirl; whirl; whirlpool

Hypernyms (to "swirl" is one way to...):

course; feed; flow; run (move along, of liquids)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

swirl (the shape of something rotating rapidly)

 Context examples 

The researchers used Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) to observe matter swirling deep inside the disk.

(Hubble Uncovers Black Hole Disk that Shouldn't Exist, NASA)

Those clues led to three prominent theories about how the swirls formed.

(NASA Research Gives New Insights into How the Moon Got 'Inked', NASA)

As before, came the answer: "darkness and the swirling of water."

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Scientists on NASA's Juno mission have observed massive amounts of energy swirling over Jupiter's polar regions that contribute to the giant planet's powerful auroras - only not in ways the researchers expected.

(Jupiter's Auroras Present a Powerful Mystery, NASA)

The images show both of Jupiter's poles are covered in Earth-sized swirling storms that are densely clustered and rubbing together.

(First Science Results from NASA’s Juno Mission, NASA)

I caught a glimpse of a hairy body like that of a reddish pig, and then it was gone amid a swirl of leaves and branches.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Jupiter's trademark Great Red Spot — a swirling anti-cyclonic storm larger than Earth — has shrunk to its smallest size ever measured.

(Jupiter's great red spot is shrinking, NASA)

Bright red patches of gas can be seen scattered through its swirling spiral arms, mixed with bright blue regions that contain newly forming stars.

(Lonely Galaxy Lost in Space, NASA)

Observations show that recent polynyas resulted from unusual ocean conditions, and intense storms that swirled over the Weddell Sea with winds that were nearly hurricane force.

(Data from robotic drifters explain mysterious holes in Antarctic sea ice, National Science Foundation)

As a planet rotates, the electrically susceptible liquid swirls around and drives electric currents, inducing a magnetic field.

(Juno Peers Inside a Giant, NASA)