WHIRL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does whirl mean? 

• WHIRL (noun)
  The noun WHIRL has 4 senses:

1. confused movement

2. the shape of something rotating rapidly

3. a usually brief attempt

4. the act of rotating rapidly

  Familiarity information: WHIRL used as a noun is uncommon.

• WHIRL (verb)
  The verb WHIRL has 5 senses:

1. turn in a twisting or spinning motion

2. cause to spin

3. flow in a circular current, of liquids

4. revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis

5. fly around

  Familiarity information: WHIRL used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WHIRL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Confused movement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

commotion; whirl

Context example:

a commotion of people fought for the exits

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

motion; movement (a natural event that involves a change in the position or location of something)

Derivation:

whirl (flow in a circular current, of liquids)

whirl (fly around)

whirl (turn in a twisting or spinning motion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The shape of something rotating rapidly

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

convolution; swirl; vortex; whirl

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

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

Derivation:

whirl (revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis)

whirl (cause to spin)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A usually brief attempt

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

crack; fling; go; offer; pass; whirl

Context example:

I gave it a whirl

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

attempt; effort; endeavor; endeavour; try (earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The act of rotating rapidly

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

spin; twirl; twist; twisting; whirl

Context example:

it broke off after much twisting

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

rotary motion; rotation (the act of rotating as if on an axis)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "whirl"):

pirouette ((ballet) a rapid spin of the body (especially on the toes as in ballet))

birling; logrolling (rotating a log rapidly in the water (as a competitive sport))

Derivation:

whirl (cause to spin)

whirl (revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis)

• WHIRL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they whirl    ... he / she / it whirls   
Past simple: whirled   
Past participle: whirled   
-ing form: whirling   

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 "whirl" 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

Sentence example:

The wooden sticks whirl

Derivation:

whirl (confused movement)

whirling (the act of rotating in a circle or spiral)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to spin

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

birl; spin; twirl; whirl

Context example:

spin a coin

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

circumvolve; rotate (cause to turn on an axis or center)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The girls whirl the wooden sticks

Derivation:

whirl (the act of rotating rapidly)

whirl (the shape of something rotating rapidly)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Flow in a circular current, of liquids

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

eddy; purl; swirl; whirl; whirlpool

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

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

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

whirl (confused movement)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

gyrate; reel; spin; spin around; whirl

Context example:

The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy

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

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

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "whirl"):

whirligig (whirl or spin like a whirligig)

Sentence frames:

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

Derivation:

whirl (the shape of something rotating rapidly)

whirler (a dervish whose actions include ecstatic dancing and whirling)

whirler (a revolving mechanism)

whirl (the act of rotating rapidly)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Fly around

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

tumble; whirl; whirl around

Context example:

rising smoke whirled in the air

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

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

whirl (confused movement)

 Context examples 

He caught Cherokee with head turned away as he whirled more slowly.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

A whirl takes Moklan by the legs, and he goes around and around, and down and down, and is seen no more.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

New thoughts and hopes were whirling through my mind, and all the colours of my life were changing.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The pair whirled around each other hundreds of times a second, producing gravitational waves at the same frequency.

(NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event, NASA)

See to the whirl and glitter of it!

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Instantly she was whirling through the air, so swiftly that all she could see or feel was the wind whistling past her ears.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

He was out of the room when Martin caught him and whirled him around.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

My head was in a whirl, Sir Charles.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I, who had lived out of the whirl of the world, had never dreamed that its work was carried on in such fashion.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

At the first coming of the dawn the horrid figures melted in the whirling mist and snow; the wreaths of transparent gloom moved away towards the castle, and were lost.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)