whirl

Syllabification: (whirl)

Pronunciation: /(h)wərl/

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Definition of whirl

verb

move or cause to move rapidly around and around: [no object]:leaves whirled in eddies of wind [with object]:I whirled her around the dance floor
move or cause to move rapidly: [no object]:Sybil stood waving as they whirled past figurativea kaleidoscope of images whirled through her brain [with object]:he was whirled into the bushes
[no object] (of the head, mind, or senses) seem to spin around:Kate made her way back to the office, her mind whirling

noun

[in singular]

a rapid movement around and around.
frantic activity of a specified kind:the event was all part of the mad social whirl
[with modifier] a specified kind of candy or cookie with a spiral shape:a hazelnut whirl

Phrases

give something a whirl: informal give something a try.
in a whirl: in a state of confusion.

Derivatives

whirler
whirlingly

Origin:

Middle English: the verb probably from Old Norse hvirfla 'turn around'; the noun partly from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch wervel 'spindle', or from Old Norse hvirfill 'circle', from a Germanic base meaning 'rotate'

whirl in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of whirl in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

whirl

verb

noun

Phrases

give something a whirl

in a whirl

Derivatives

whirler

whirlingly

Origin:

whirl in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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