I. whirl 1 /wɜːl $ wɜːrl/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: Probably from a Scandinavian language ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to turn or spin around very quickly, or to make someone or something do this:
We watched the seagulls whirling and shrieking over the harbour.
whirl about/around/toward etc
She whirled around and her look shook him.
whirl somebody/something about/around/away etc
He whirled her round in his arms.
2 . [intransitive] if your head is whirling, or if thoughts are whirling in your head, your mind is full of thoughts and ideas, and you feel very confused or excited:
His head was whirling with excitement.
The implications began to whirl around her head.
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THESAURUS
▪ turn to move around a central or fixed point:
The wheels of the train began to turn.
▪ go around ( also go round British English ) to turn around a central point. Go around is a little more informal than turn and is very common in everyday English:
When the fan goes around, the warm air is pushed back downwards.
▪ revolve/rotate to turn around and around a central point. Rotate and revolve are more formal than turn and sound more technical:
The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.
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The stage revolves at various points during the performance.
▪ spin to turn around many times very quickly:
The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.
▪ whirl /wɜːl $ wɜːrl/ to spin around extremely quickly, often in a powerful or uncontrolled way:
The blades of the helicopter whirled overhead.
▪ twirl (around) to spin around quickly, especially as part of a dance or performance:
The couples were twirling around on the dance floor.
▪ swirl (around) to move around quickly in a circular movement, especially when the movement goes outwards or upwards from the center:
Her white skirt swirled around her legs as she danced.
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The leaves began to swirl around.
▪ spiral to move in a continuous curve that gets nearer to or further from its central point as it goes around:
The smoke spiralled toward the ceiling.
II. whirl 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . give something a whirl informal to try something that you are not sure you are going to like or be able to do:
Why don’t you give golf a whirl?
2 . [singular] a lot of activity of a particular kind:
the social whirl of New York publishing
whirl of
The next two days passed in a whirl of activity.
3 . be in a whirl to feel very excited or confused about something:
His mind was in a whirl and he was worried.
4 . [countable usually singular] a spinning movement or the shape of something that is spinning
whirl of
A car rumbled over the bumpy dirt road, leaving behind a whirl of white dust.