whirl
/wɜːl/ (bre, ipa) · /wɜːrl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈ(h)wər(-ə)l/ (ame, mw) · /wɝːl/ (ame, ipa)
whirl — verb
- whirlpresent simple I / you / we / they
- whirlshe / she / it
- whirledpast simple
- whirling-ing form
1. to spin quickly round and round, or to make a person or thing spin quickly in th
to spin quickly round and round, or to make a person or thing spin quickly in that way.
Asher whirled his little sister around the living room until she begged him to stop.
whirl + object + around for spinning someone playfully
Dry leaves whirled along the pavement outside the bakery.
intransitive: subject (leaves) whirls in the wind
The wooden top whirled across the kitchen floor and bumped into the table leg.
Mauricio whirled the rope above his head before throwing it to the fallen rider.
Snowflakes whirled past the bus window as Aoi watched the empty fields.
文法句型
whirl + adverb/preposition
whirl + object + adverb/preposition
用法筆記
Frequently followed by a directional adverb or preposition (around, past, along, across, off). Subjects are typically light or rotating objects (leaves, dust, snow, a top, a rope) or people made to spin.
常見錯誤
2. to feel that your head is spinning inside, so that ideas and feelings rush past
to feel that your head is spinning inside, so that ideas and feelings rush past too fast for you to think clearly — typically after shock, strong emotion, or too much new information.
After the surprise phone call from her birth mother, Kemi's mind whirled for the rest of the afternoon.
subject is mind/thoughts/head; trigger is a shock or strong emotion
Quinn's head was whirling with names and dates from the morning's lecture.
collocation: head whirling with [content]
Thoughts whirled through Minh's mind as the doctor explained the diagnosis.
Layla felt her mind whirl when the judges read out her score.
- settle
of the mind: become calm and clear
文法句型
[mind / thoughts / head] + whirl
用法筆記
Subject must be 'mind', 'thoughts', 'head', or 'brain' — not a person directly. Distinguish from sense 1: in sense 1 the subject physically spins, here it is an internal mental sensation often paired with 'with' + cause.
常見錯誤
whirl — noun
- whirlsingular
- whirlsplural
1. a quick, often forceful spinning movement, or a thing that is spinning in this w
a quick, often forceful spinning movement, or a thing that is spinning in this way.
Faisal gave the wooden top a sharp whirl and watched it cross the floor.
collocation: give [something] a whirl (literal spinning sense)
A whirl of dust rose from the road as the truck sped past.
common pattern: a whirl of [dust / leaves / smoke / snow]
The ribbon dancer ended her routine with a long whirl across the stage.
With one whirl of the rope, the cowboy caught the calf by its back leg.
Élise watched the whirl of red and gold leaves outside her bedroom window.
文法句型
a whirl of [noun]
give [object] a whirl
用法筆記
Often appears as 'a whirl of [light / fast objects]' (dust, leaves, smoke, snow, ribbons). Distinguish from sense 2 (period of activity) by context — here the whirl is a single physical rotation, not a stretch of busy time.
常見錯誤
2. a busy and exciting stretch of time, full of activities and events that follow e
a busy and exciting stretch of time, full of activities and events that follow each other very quickly.
Christopher's first month in Tokyo was a whirl of language classes, new friends, and weekend trips.
common pattern: a whirl of [events / parties / activities]
The week before the wedding passed in a whirl of fittings, phone calls, and last-minute shopping.
fixed phrase: in a whirl (caught up in a rush of events)
After her promotion, Cole's life became a whirl of late meetings and early flights.
The festival weekend was a happy whirl of food stalls, live music, and street parades.
- lull
a quiet stretch with little happening
文法句型
a whirl of [activities / parties / meetings]
in a whirl
用法筆記
Subject is almost always a period of time or a person's life. Often modified by an adjective (a social whirl, a happy whirl) or followed by 'of' + plural noun. Distinguish from sense 1 by what the whirl is made of: events and activities, not physical motion.
常見錯誤
3. a short, often experimental attempt at doing something, usually to find out whet
a short, often experimental attempt at doing something, usually to find out whether you like it or are any good at it.
Hana had never danced salsa before, but she decided to give it a whirl at the church social.
fixed phrase: give [something] a whirl (try it once, informally)
Xiu thought baking sourdough looked hard, but a roommate convinced them to give it a whirl.
The new noodle bar near the station looks interesting — let's give it a whirl tomorrow.
Michael gave online chess a whirl for a week and ended up playing every evening.
文法句型
give [something] a whirl
have a whirl at [something]
用法筆記
Strongly tied to the fixed phrase 'give (something) a whirl' — outside this phrase, the brief-try sense is rare. The thing tried is usually an activity, hobby, food, or place. Informal in tone.