quirl

Q10U1I1R1L1
US/kwɝl/UK/kwɜːl/

verb

To curl or twirl, or twist or coil (up).

Scrabble 14
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Meanings

verbquirl (third-person singular simple present quirls, present participle quirling, simple past and past participle quirled)

present singular third person quirls · participle present quirling · participle past quirled · past quirled

  1. Southern USdialectalTo curl or twirl, or twist or coil (up).

    Ephraim clapped his hand to his side, and rolled his eyes agonizingly towards his mother, but she took no notice. She got some paper out of the cupboard, and Ephraim sat down and began quirling it into long spirals with a wretched sulky air.

    1894, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman, Pembroke: A Novel, page 215

Origin

Attested since the 18th century. Considered by other dictionaries to be related to curl. Compare German Quirl, said to be related to twirl.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with quirl

earlcurlswirlmerlefurlwhirlSearleburlgurlhurlpurlwhorltwirlshirlcatgirlunfurlawhirlthurlSerleaswirlatwirlbirldemigirldiapergirl
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

quirl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quirl

MLA

“quirl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quirl. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quirl,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quirl.

Source: quirl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.