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Twirl vs Swirl - What's the difference?

twirl | swirl |

As nouns the difference between twirl and swirl

is that twirl is a movement where one spins round elegantly; a pirouette while swirl is a whirling eddy.

As verbs the difference between twirl and swirl

is that twirl is to perform a twirl while swirl is to twist or whirl, as an eddy.

twirl

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • A movement where one spins round elegantly; a pirouette.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To perform a twirl.
  • To rotate rapidly.
  • * Dodsley
    • See ruddy maids, / Some taught with dexterous hand to twirl the wheel.
  • * Byron
    • No more beneath soft eve's consenting star / Fandango twirls his jocund castanet.

    References

    swirl

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A whirling eddy.
  • A twist or coil of something.

    • Derived terms

    * (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (ambitransitive) To twist or whirl, as an eddy.
    • I swirled my brush around in the paint.
  • * Charles Kingsley
    • The river swirled along.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 13 , author=Alistair Magowan , title=Sunderland 0-1 Man Utd , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=The contest was a lot more even in the second half, as the wind swirled around the Stadium of Light, but it took Craig Gardner's superb block to prevent Young getting on the scoresheet.}}
  • To be arranged in a twist, spiral or whorl.
  • (figuratively) to circulate
  • * 2013 May 23, , " British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party," New York Times (retrieved 29 May 2013):
    • Mr. Cameron had a respite Thursday from the negative chatter swirling around him when he appeared outside 10 Downing Street to denounce the murder a day before of a British soldier on a London street.