swirl

swirl — verb

1. to move in a twisting circular pattern, like water going down a drain, or to cau

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to move in a twisting circular pattern, like water going down a drain, or to cause something to move in this way. For example, autumn leaves swirl in the wind before settling on the ground, or a chef swirls cream into a soup to create a pattern.

Example

The autumn leaves swirled in the wind before landing on the wet pavement.

intransitive: subject + swirl + adverbial of place

Élise swirled the cream gently into her tomato soup to make a pattern.

transitive: person swirls [food/liquid] into [something]

Common collocations
  • swirl around
  • swirl down
  • swirl through
  • swirl gently
  • swirl in circles
Synonyms
  • whirl

    faster, more forceful circular motion; often used for machines or intense wind

  • spiral

    suggests a cone-shaped path upward or downward rather than a flat circle

  • eddy

    usually describes water moving in a small circle against the main current

Antonyms
  • settle

    to stop moving and come to rest

  • still

    to become motionless

Grammar Patterns

swirl (intransitive): leaves/dust/water + swirl

swirl + object: wind/person + swirls + object

Usage Note

Frequently used with directional phrases (swirl around, swirl down, swirl through). The transitive pattern usually involves a liquid, food, or airborne substance as the object.

Common Mistakes

The water is swirling' (when describing a gentle flow).
The water is swirling' (only if it actually turns in circles).
'Swirl' always implies a circular or twisting path, not just any movement.

2. when rumors, stories, or ideas are repeated by many people in a community withou

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

when rumors, stories, or ideas are repeated by many people in a community without anyone being sure of the facts. For instance, rumors swirl around a company before it announces job cuts, or conflicting accounts swirl about a celebrity's private life.

Example

Rumors have been swirling around the office about who will be the next manager.

rumors + swirl + around [place/topic]

Various stories swirled about the candidate's past, but nothing was proven.

stories/ideas + swirl + about [topic]

Common collocations
  • rumors swirl around
  • stories swirl about
  • questions swirl
  • speculation swirls
Synonyms
  • circulate

    more neutral and factual; does not carry the same sense of confusion or speed

  • fly around

    more informal; suggests rapid, uncontrolled spread

  • spread

    general term; lacks the chaotic, circular feeling of 'swirl'

Grammar Patterns

rumors/stories/ideas + swirl + around/about + topic

Usage Note

Almost always in continuous or perfect-continuous tenses (is swirling, have been swirling). The subject is usually a plural noun (rumors, stories, questions, accounts).

Common Mistakes

A rumor swirled yesterday' (simple past).
Rumors have been swirling for days' (present-perfect continuous).
This sense strongly prefers continuous tenses to convey ongoing, unsettled chatter.

swirl — noun

Word family

  • swirling
    adjectiveB2
  • swirly
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four describe circular motion, but each carries a different flavour. Swirl suggests a relaxed, flowing circular path — like cream stirred into coffee or leaves caught in a breeze. Whirl is faster and more forceful, often used for machine parts or intense winds: a fan blade whirls, but cream does not. Spiral describes a cone-shaped path moving upward or downward while rotating — think of a hawk circling higher on a thermal. Eddy is narrower, used almost exclusively for water moving in a small reverse circle against the main current, like the little whirlpools beside a rock in a stream. Spin is the most general and common: anything turning around its own centre spins — a wheel, a top, a dancer. In everyday speech, if you want to describe liquid gently turning in a bowl, use swirl. If you want to describe a helicopter blade starting up, use whirl.

whirlspiral ↗eddyspin ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • swirl of activity
  • swirl of colour
  • swirl of controversy

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicMiddle EnglishEnglish

Likely from a Scottish or northern English dialect source, related to the older word 'swirl' (to whirl or eddy), ultimately going back to a Germanic root meaning 'to turn or revolve'. The word appeared in English around the 15th century, first describing physical twisting motion in water or wind. Its figurative use for rumors and ideas emerged much later, in the 19th to 20th centuries, as news media and gossip culture expanded.