as in to rotate
to move in circles around an axis or center
the kayaker had got sucked into the whirlpool, and his kayak was pinwheeling helplessly
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pinwheel
Some of the outer rain bands and a few storms from Beta will pinwheel into the area from the east and southeast.
—
Dallas News, 20 Sep. 2020
Observations of pinwheeling galaxies suggested that scaffolds of invisible matter held their stars together, while a repulsive form of energy drove galaxies apart.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Jan. 2020
The man in the white vest pinwheeled his arms, ushering volunteers through the pick-up line outside the Salvation Army Community Center on Fourth Street with military precision.
—Lizzie Johnson, SFChronicle.com, 25 Dec. 2019
According to the space agency, IC 2051 is a spiral galaxy, noticeable in its whirling, pinwheeling arms and a bar of stars cutting through its center.
—Fox News, 23 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for pinwheel
Dallas News, 20 Sep. 2020
Observations of pinwheeling galaxies suggested that scaffolds of invisible matter held their stars together, while a repulsive form of energy drove galaxies apart.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Jan. 2020
The man in the white vest pinwheeled his arms, ushering volunteers through the pick-up line outside the Salvation Army Community Center on Fourth Street with military precision.
—Lizzie Johnson, SFChronicle.com, 25 Dec. 2019
According to the space agency, IC 2051 is a spiral galaxy, noticeable in its whirling, pinwheeling arms and a bar of stars cutting through its center.
—Fox News, 23 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for pinwheel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pinwheel
Verb
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There are also rotating daily specials, with vegetarian versions typically available.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
26 July 2025
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Since its debut on Sept. 1, 1991, E! News has featured a rotating lineup of hosts, delivering pop culture updates to audiences around the world.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
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While there are attempts to filter likely spam and scam messages, and Google’s new one click spam button helps, attackers know how to revolve numbers and can even use AI to vary content to bypass defenses.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Joining Lake are a revolving panel of judges including Ross Matthews, fitness instructor Cody Rigsby, and actresses Dulcé Sloan and Dascha Polanco.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
2 July 2025
Verb
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When a ball spins quickly through the air, the placement of its rough elements matters less; the ball moves as if these features are evenly distributed.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
25 July 2025
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On July 22 and August 5, the Earth will spin a little more than a millisecond faster than usual.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Pasteur’s work on molecules rested on a previous discovery by Augustin-Jean Fresnel, who in 1822 realized that different quartz prisms could send light’s electric field twirling in one of two directions—clockwise or counterclockwise.—
Zack Savitsky,
Wired News,
22 June 2025
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The rerecorded third album twirled into our lives like a lavender dream during the Eras Tour in 2023.—
Bryan West,
The Tennessean,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pinwheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pinwheel. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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