twirl

1 of 2

verb

twirled; twirling; twirls

intransitive verb

1
: to revolve rapidly
2
: to pitch in a baseball game

transitive verb

1
: to cause to rotate rapidly
2
twirler noun

twirl

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act of twirling
2
: coil, whorl
twirly adjective

Examples of twirl in a Sentence

Verb They twirled past us on the dance floor. The cheerleaders jumped and twirled. The kite twisted and twirled in the wind. The chef twirled the noodles around his fork. Noun The dancers executed perfect twirls. the twirl of the dancer's skirt mesmerized me
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Keen to lift the team after a difficult opening five minutes, Shakhtar fans began jumping up and down in their corner of the stadium and twirling their orange scarves above their heads. Matias Grez, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024 Charli’s been twirling, jumping, and spitting on stage in Luar and Acne Studios, courtesy of Brat fashion architect Chris Horan. José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 14 Oct. 2024
Noun
In front of the camera, Gascón twirls in a silky, black, Lanvin gown. Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2024 Cox’s twirl onto the step and repeat made a waiting guest’s jaw quite literally drop. Leigh Nordstrom, WWD, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for twirl 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian dialect tvirla to twirl; akin to Old High German dweran to stir

First Known Use

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of twirl was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near twirl

Cite this Entry

“Twirl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/twirl. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

twirl

1 of 2 verb
: to turn or cause to turn rapidly
twirl a baton
twirler noun

twirl

2 of 2 noun
: an act of twirling

More from Merriam-Webster on twirl

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!