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twirl

twirl

15 2.7
A quick spin or turn
  • noun
  • /twɜrl/
translation icon : giro
  • She gave her dress a dramatic twirl before stepping onto the stage.
  • a little twirl
  • a quick twirl
  • the final twirl

Examples

  • Then, balancing the marble on his finger, he gave it a twirl, setting it spinning.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Fanny, dressed in white, twirls in Edmund's arms.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • It's only taken six months to get that twirl down.

  • All right, one twirl though.

  • Here, uh, stand up and give me a twirl.

  • Yes, keep it up, nice twirl.

  • My favorite part of this swing is the twirl at the very end.

    Blog text (5)
  • All right, give us a little twirl for your outfit.

  • Eleyna set down her hairbrush and gave her skirts a final twirl.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Their leaps and twirls are juxtaposed against the persistent rhythm of the band's marches.

    Academic text (1993)

Synonyms

turn
vstwirl
485 1.0

A change of direction in a road or path

is a rapid specific kind of turning rather than a general directional change
spin
vstwirl
104 1.1

A quick turning movement of an object or person

is a quick, brief turning movement rather than any general fast rotation
rotation
vstwirl
54 2.8

Turning around a central point, for example the Earth spinning once

is a quick sudden turning rather than a steady ongoing process
twist
vstwirl
51 2.4

A curved shape made by turning or winding something

is faster and more momentary than the usually slower wound movement
turning
vstwirl
22 2.5

A change of direction in a road or path

is a quick spinning movement specifically rather than any general change
whirl
vstwirl
12 3.7

A fast spinning movement that turns in circles

is similarly rapid but often smaller and more single in occurrence
pirouette
vstwirl
9 8.2

A quick turn on one foot as in ballet

is the same quick turning idea but not limited to dance or one foot
whirling
vstwirl
3 3.4

A fast spinning movement in a circle

is a quick turning that is usually a single short action rather than ongoing
gyration
vstwirl
2 7.8

A repeated movement in a circle or spiral

is a quick single turn rather than a repeated or continuous motion
twisting
vstwirl
1 2.4

Turning something around quickly so it spins

is a quick outward turning movement rather than a wound or curved shape

Antonyms

310 1.0

An act when something ends or pauses

How Fast

whirl
12 3.7
spin
104 1.1
twirl
15 2.7
twist
51 2.4
turn
485 1.0

Surface Forms

twirl singular
twirls plural

Etymology

Twirl is easy to remember if you think of it as a mix of twist ('to turn') and whirl ('to spin'). So a twirl is a quick, light 'turn' or 'spin'.