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whirl

Pronunciation: /wəːl/
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Definition of whirl

verb

  • move or cause to move rapidly round and round: [no object]:leaves whirled in eddies of wind [with object]:I whirled her round the dance hall (as adjective whirling)a vigorous whirling jig
  • move or cause to move rapidly: [no object, with adverbial of direction]:Sybil stood waving as they whirled past figurativea kaleidoscope of images whirled through her brain
  • [no object] (of the head, mind, or senses) seem to spin round:Kate made her way back to the office, her mind whirling

noun

  • 1 [in singular] a rapid movement round and round.
  • frantic activity of a specified kind:the event was all part of the mad social whirl
  • 2 [with adjective or noun modifier] a specified kind of sweet or biscuit 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: Laura’s mind was in a whirl

Derivatives

whirler

noun

whirlingly

adverb

Origin:

Middle 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'

whirl in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of whirl in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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