English Reference
Noun

whirling

n. countable
C1 Advanced US /ˈhwɝɫɪŋ/ UK /wˈɜːlɪŋ/ whirling Sociology

n.a group of people who spin around in circles as part of a religious or spiritual ceremony. This is most common in the Sufi tradition of Islam.

n.a group of Sufi practitioners who perform a ritual of spinning in circles as a form of meditation and spiritual devotion. Often associated with the Mevlevi order.


SIMPLE

The whirling dervishes performed their dance at the ceremony.

CONTEXTUAL

Visitors to the local museum can watch a video of the whirling dervishes performing their traditional spinning ritual.

COMPLEX

The rhythmic spinning of the whirling dervishes is intended to induce a trance-like state, allowing the participants to transcend their physical bodies and achieve a closer connection with the divine.

These were the boom times of the early 2000s, UK housing recast as a global money trap, an endlessly whirling laundromat, a bricks and mortar central bank bond.

The Guardian· 2 Sept 2026

Back then, I didn’t tell them I was 15 in 1980, forever sprinting across dancefloors pretending to be Adam Ant, chiffon scarves tied to knees, limbs flailing like a whirling Cossack.

The Guardian· 26 Aug 2026
This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated