whirl

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whirl / (h)wərl/ • v. move or cause to move rapidly around and around: [intr.] leaves whirled in eddies of wind | [tr.] I whirled her around the dance floor. ∎  move or cause to move rapidly: [intr.] Sybil stood waving as they whirled past | [tr.] he was whirled into the bushes. ∎  [intr.] (of the head, mind, or senses) seem to spin around: Kate made her way back to the office, her mind whirling. ∎  [intr.] (of thoughts or mental images) follow each other in bewildering succession: a kaleidoscope of images whirled through her brain.• n. [in sing.] a rapid movement around and around. ∎  frantic activity of a specified kind: the event was all part of the mad social whirl. ∎  a specified kind of candy or cookie with a spiral shape: a hazelnut whirl.PHRASES: give something a whirl inf. give something a try.in a whirl in a state of confusion.DERIVATIVES: whirl·er n.whirl·ing·ly adv.