whirled

verb

past tense of whirl
1
as in stirred
to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly whirled the chocolate syrup into the milk with a spoon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in twirled
to move (something) in a curved or circular path on or as if on an axis the figure skater whirled his partner with effortless grace

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in rotated
to move in circles around an axis or center the gambler held his breath as the roulette wheel whirled

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in sped
to proceed or move quickly cars whirling by on the highway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in spun
to be in a confused state as if from being twirled around my mind whirled from all of the excitement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of whirled Throughout all this chaos, the Fleetwood Mac touring machine whirled on. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026 The ram whirled, rushed down off his rocky pinnacle, and went by us. — Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 July 2026 Dancers from Parsons whirled around in their stocking feet, finding their way through a crowd that included Astrid Hill, Chris and Christina Cuomo, and Lisa and Richard Perry. — Vanessa Grigoriadis, Vanity Fair, 21 July 2026 There are shirts being whirled all around me as disbelieving fans soak in the celebrations with their squad. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026 The final pool is a large open-air saltwater pool that whirled me around in its cool currents. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026 So Anikpo, a psychiatric physician assistant, didn't think to discuss the crackdown with their 9-year-old son Zeke, even as helicopters whirled over their South Minneapolis neighborhood. — ABC News, 28 May 2026 Before Kate could respond, Emily whirled around and disappeared inside the house. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026 Only problem was, teammate Trevor Zegras whirled the rookie around by the neck, and the rest of the Flyers mobbed the ice and pinned Martone against the boards in a wild celebration worthy of a playoff victory. — CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirled
  1. stirred
  2. twirled
  3. rotated
  4. sped
  5. spun
  6. swirled
  7. swung
  8. revolved
Verb
  • An ongoing police investigation in Philadelphia's Olney section has stirred rumors and concerns of a potential serial killer, but some key information is missing before that claim can be correct.
    — Kaitlyn McCormick, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The debate has stirred deep divisions among the public over whether she should be held criminally responsible for the January 2023 killings.
    — Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of stirred
Verb
  • Humanoids marched, backflipped, and twirled nunchucks; robotic pandas gambolled.
    — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Sitting in front of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today, Anthony Fauci twirled his pen.
    — Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of twirled
Verb
  • In Cohen's case, his distal femur bone was amputated, and his tibia bone was rotated 180 degrees and fused with what remained of his femur.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • All of the receivers largely rotated between the first and third offensive units.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of rotated
Verb
  • Earlier in the game, Thomas’ pressure sped up Milroe, who saw his pass batted down by defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Officers said Rodriguez sped out of the lot and fled the scene.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of sped
Verb
  • The Audi pair almost had a similar problem when Gabriel Bortoleto spun on a greasy but drying track that also caught out and wrecked Verstappen on the opening lap.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • His approach, and the propaganda machine that has spun it as a law-and-order success story, has turned Bukele into an international figure, and cast leaders like Petro and Cepeda, who helped design Petro’s strategy, as soft on crime.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of spun
Verb
  • Yet fighting for the spotlight could be the least of their problems, as questions swirled over how the Sussexes would actually pull off life in Britain.
    — Lauryn Overhultz , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The inaugural effort was vanilla ice cream swirled with pistachio cream and bits of Meyer lemon shortbread, but the current iteration infuses hochija tea into the ice cream base with a crunchy black sesame swirl.
    — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of swirled
Verb
  • Instead, the chief executive said Hilton's middle- and upper-middle segments have swung from posting negative numbers to growing at rates as high as 6%.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The bond market swung Friday as investors built bets that the Federal Reserve may hike interest rates soon to get the nation’s high inflation under control.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of swung
Verb
  • To its left, sausages revolved on chrome rollers; to its right, a human attendant in a brightly colored uniform looked patient and quizzical.
    — Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Still, most gravitate toward the main pool, where the Delano's social scene has revolved for decades.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 July 2026
Definition of revolved

Browse Nearby Words

whirl
whirled
whirling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Whirled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All