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Webster 1913 Edition


Whirl

Whirl

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Whirled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Whirling
.]
[OE.
whirlen
, probably from the Scand.; cf. Icel. & Sw.
hvirfla
, Dan.
hvirvle
; akin to D.
wervelen
, G.
wirbeln
, freq. of the verb seen in Icel.
hverfa
to turn. √16. See
Wharf
, and cf.
Warble
,
Whorl
.]
1.
To turn round rapidly; to cause to rotate with velocity; to make to revolve.
He
whirls
his sword around without delay.
Dryden.
2.
To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch; to harry.
Chaucer.
See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels,
That
whirled
the prophet up at Chebar flood.
Milton.
The passionate heart of the poet is
whirl’d
into folly.
Tennyson.

Whirl

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; to revolve or rotate with great speed; to gyrate.
“The whirling year vainly my dizzy eyes pursue.”
J. H. Newman.
The wooden engine flies and
whirls
about.
Dryden.
2.
To move hastily or swiftly.
But
whirled
away to shun his hateful sight.
Dryden.

Whirl

,
Noun.
[Cf. Dan.
hvirvel
, Sw.
hvirfvel
, Icel.
hvirfill
the crown of the head, G.
wirbel
whirl, crown of the head, D.
wervel
. See
Whirl
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; rapid or confusing motion;
as, the
whirl
of a top; the
whirl
of a wheel
.
“In no breathless whirl.”
J. H. Newman.
The rapid . . .
whirl
of things here below interrupt not the inviolable rest and calmness of the noble beings above.
South.
2.
Anything that moves with a whirling motion.
He saw Falmouth under gray, iron skies, and
whirls
of March dust.
Carlyle.
3.
A revolving hook used in twisting, as the hooked spindle of a rope machine, to which the threads to be twisted are attached.
4.
(Bot. & Zool.)
A whorl. See
Whorl
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Whirl

WHIRL

,
Verb.
T.
hwurl. [G., to whirl, to warble. L.] TO turn round rapidly; to turn with velocity.
He whirls his sword around without delay.

WHIRL

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be turned round rapidly; to move round with velocity; as the whirling spindles of a cotton machine or wheels of a coach.
The wooden engine flies and whirls about.
2.
To move hastily.
--But whirld away, to shun his hateful sight.

WHIRL

,
Noun.
[G.]
1.
A turning with rapidity or velocity; rapid rotation or circumvolution; quick gyration; as the whirl of a top; the whirl of a wheel; the whirl of time; the whirls of fancy.
2.
Any thing that moves or is turned with velocity, particularly on an axis or pivot.
3.
A hook used in twisting.
4.
In botany, a species of inflorescence, consisting of many subsessile flowers surrounding the stem in a ring. It is also written whorl and wherl.

Definition 2024


whirl

whirl

English

Verb

whirl (third-person singular simple present whirls, present participle whirling, simple past and past participle whirled)

  1. (intransitive) To rotate, revolve, spin or turn rapidly.
    The dancer whirled across the stage, stopped, and whirled around to face the audience.
  2. (intransitive) To have a sensation of spinning or reeling.
    My head is whirling after all that drink.
  3. (transitive) To make something or someone whirl.
    The dancer whirled his partner round on her toes.
  4. (transitive) To remove or carry quickly with, or as with, a revolving motion; to snatch.
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, / That whirled the prophet up at Chebar flood.
    • Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)
      The passionate heart of the poet is whirl'd into folly.

Translations

Noun

whirl (plural whirls)

  1. An act of whirling.
    She gave the top a whirl and it spun across the floor.
  2. Something that whirls.
  3. A confused tumult.
  4. A rapid series of events.
    My life is one social whirl.
  5. Dizziness or giddiness.
  6. (usually following “give”) A brief experiment or trial.
    OK, let's give it a whirl.

Derived terms