spiraling

Verb

spiral (third-person singular simple present spirals, present participle (US) spiraling or (UK) spiralling, simple past and past participle (US) spiraled or (UK) spiralled)

1. (intransitive) To move along the path of a spiral or helix.
   • The falling leaves spiralled down from the tree.

   Synonyms:

   billow, gyrate, spire

2. (transitive) To cause something to spiral.
   • You need to learn how to spiral a ball.
3. (figuratively, intransitive) To increase continually.
   • Her debts were spiralling out of control.
4. (intransitive) To decline mentally.
   • She spiralled into a deep depression.

See all 9 meanings of spiral

Noun

spiralling (plural spirallings)

1. Movement in a spiral.
   • Dear witch, dear devious dove, I halfway know / The meaning of these giddy spirallings.c. 1949-1950, Theodore Roethke, In the Bush of her Bones