I. spi ‧ ral 1 /ˈspaɪərəl $ ˈspaɪr-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: spiralis (adjective), from Latin spira 'coil' ]
1 . a line in the form of a curve that winds around a central point, moving further away from the centre all the time
2 . a process, usually a harmful one, in which something gradually but continuously gets worse or better
in/into a spiral
Unemployment rose and the city went into a spiral of decline.
downward/upward spiral
The company is in a downward spiral.
3 . inflationary spiral a situation in which wages and prices rise continuously because the level of ↑ inflation is high
—spiral adjective
II. spiral 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle spiralled , present participle spiralling British English , spiraled , spiraling American English ) [intransitive]
1 . [always + adverb/preposition] to move in a continuous curve that gets nearer to or further from its central point as it goes round
spiral to/around etc
The damaged plane spiralled to the ground.
2 . if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc in a way that cannot be controlled:
Crime has spiraled out of control.
3 . if debt or the cost of something spirals, it increases quickly in a way that cannot be controlled SYN escalate
—spiralling British English
— spiraling American English adjective :
the spiralling cost of legal services
• • •
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.