whirl

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. spin[ning], gyration, turn; flutter, tizzy, confusion; pirouette. —v. spin, twirl, turn, rotate, revolve, gyre, gyrate; dance, pirouette. See rotation.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Rapid rotating motion]

Syn. swirl, turn, flurry, spin, gyration, reel, surge, whir; see also revolution 1 .

2. [Confusion]

Syn. hurry, flutter, fluster, ferment, agitation, tempest, storm, rush, tumult, turbulence, commotion, hurly-burly, bustle, the dizzy rounds*.

v.

Syn. turn around, rotate, spin, gyrate, wheel, swirl, twirl, revolve, gyre, turn, turn upon itself.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) v.

spin, twirl, wheel, gyrate, reel, turn, rotate, revolve, swirl, pivot, pirouette.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To rotate rapidly: spin, swirl, twirl. See REPETITION. 2. To move or cause to move like a rapid rotary current of liquid: eddy, swirl. See MOVE, REPETITION. 3. To have the sensation of turning in circles: reel, spin, swim, swirl. See REPETITION. 4. To move swiftly: bolt, bucket, bustle, dart, dash, festinate, flash, fleet, flit, fly, haste, hasten, hurry, hustle, pelt2, race, rocket, run, rush, sail, scoot, scour2, shoot, speed, sprint, tear1, trot, whisk, whiz, wing, zip, zoom. Informal: hotfoot, rip. Slang: barrel, highball. Chiefly British: nip1. Idioms: get a move on, get cracking, go like lightning, go like the wind, hotfoot it, make haste, make time, make tracks, run like the wind, shake a leg, step (or jump) on it. See MOVE. II noun 1. Circular movement around a point or about an axis: circuit, circulation, circumvolution, gyration, revolution, rotation, turn, wheel. See GEOMETRY, REPETITION. 2. Agitated, excited movement and activity: bustle, flurry, stir1, whirlpool. See CALM. 3. Informal. A trip in a motor vehicle: drive, ride, run. Informal: spin. See MOVE. 4. Informal. A brief trial: crack, go, stab, try. Informal: fling, shot, whack. See TRY.