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. [1913
Webster] The wooden engine flies and whirls about. --Dryden. [1913
Webster]
To move hastily or swiftly. [1913 Webster] But
whirled away to shun his hateful sight. --Dryden. [1913
Webster]
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.] [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster] The rapid . . .
whirl of things here below interrupt not the inviolable rest and
calmness of the noble beings above. --South. [1913 Webster]
Anything that moves with a whirling motion. [1913
Webster] He saw Falmouth under gray, iron skies, and whirls of
March dust. --Carlyle. [1913 Webster]
A revolving hook used in twisting, as the hooked
spindle of a rope machine, to which the threads to be twisted are
attached. [1913 Webster]
(Bot. & Zool.) A whorl. See Whorl. [1913 Webster]
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.] [1913 Webster]
To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with
velocity; to make to revolve. [1913 Webster] He whirls his sword
around without delay. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]
To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a
revolving motion; to snatch; to harry. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, That whirled the
prophet up at Chebar flood. --Milton. [1913 Webster] The passionate
heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly. --Tennyson. [1913
Webster]
Word Net
whirlNoun
1 confused movement; "he was caught up in a whirl
of work"; "a commotion of people fought for the exits" [syn:
commotion]
3 a usually brief attempt; "he took a crack at
it"; "I gave it a whirl" [syn: crack, fling, go, pass, offer]
4 the act of rotating rapidly; "he gave the crank
a spin"; "it broke off after much twisting" [syn: spin, twirl, twist, twisting]
Verb
1 turn in a twisting or spinning motion; "The
leaves swirled in the autumn wind" [syn: twirl, swirl, twiddle]
4 revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own
axis; "The dervishes whirl around and around without getting dizzy"
[syn: spin, spin around,
reel, gyrate]
5 fly around; "The clothes tumbled in the dryer";
"rising smoke whirled in the air" [syn: tumble, whirl
around]
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, yeastinessEnglish
Pronunciation
- (UK): /wɜːl/, /w3:l/ or /ʍɜ:l/, /W3:l/ (in Scottish English and some English accents)
- (US): , /wɝl/, /w3`l/ or , /ʍɝl/, /W3:`l/ (in Scottish English and some English accents)
Homophones
Verb
- To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.
- The dancer whirled across the stage, stopped, and whirled around to face the audience.
- To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.
- My head is whirling after all that drink.
- To make something or someone whirl.
- The dancer whirled his partner round on her toes.
Noun
Whirl may refer to:
- Whirl (Transformers), a Transformers toy
- Tilt-A-Whirl, a type of amusement ride
- Atomic whirl, a symbol of atheism
- Whirl (programming language)
- Whirl magazine, a luxury lifestyle magazine in Pittsburgh, PA