CIRCLING Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

circling 1 of 2

adjective

as in swirling

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Dissimilar Words

circling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of circle

as in surrounding

to form a circle around everyone circled the lectern and waited their turn to read from the Bible

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in orbiting

to travel completely around with a look of extreme frustration, the commander circled the new recruit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of circling

Verb

And the idea of circling the behavior of a group of people in a room. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 In 2001, Michelle remembers hiding under her desk and hearing helicopters circling over her school. — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026 After roughly two hours, drones began circling overhead and Israeli security forces arrived and declared the area a closed military zone. — Ruth Sherlock, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026 Harris, a journalist who previously wrote books on the video game and tech industries, spent months circling his dream subject, talking to his closest friends and collaborators, before he would finally be introduced to David via email. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026 Eaton bought a solid-state transformer company outright; giants such as Schneider Electric, Delta Electronics and Hitachi Energy are all circling. — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Imagine Entertainment, was also circling Kraus’ scientifically accurate book. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 Cosmic death The unnamed exoplanet was discovered circling the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, according to a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 9 Oct. 2026 Ship stayed up for another three hours, circling Earth multiple times (and deploying those Starlink satellites) before meeting its own watery end in the northern Pacific Ocean. — Mike Wall, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circling

Adjective

Turn the volume up and that pinhole dilates, revealing swirling galaxies of vocal harmonies, upright bass plucks, and cascading piano runs.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
The heaviness comes from the fact that the artist died in April, at age forty-six, but it’s also embedded in the paintings on view—in the bursts of fire and swirling floods that mark them.

— Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of swirling

Verb

The surrounding business and residential areas temporarily lost power.

— Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026
Much like the brand, which leans toward natural fibers and emphasizes sustainability, the focus here is on the surrounding sea and forest.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of surrounding

Verb

Most Earth-orbiting satellites draw electricity from solar panels, with batteries supplying power during periods without sunlight.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Musk has said SpaceX’s future success hinges on its Starship rocket, slated to carry astronauts to the moon and launch hundreds of thousands of communications satellites and orbiting data centers to power its AI ambitions.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of orbiting

Adjective

The continuously rising spiral roof integrates diverse functions such as dining spaces, exhibition spaces, education centers, and the theater into a cohesive whole.

— Wendy Wang, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026
People whose lives spiral when social media enters the picture might need to abstain, although doctors are finding that for behavioral addictions abstinence might not be feasible (screens are everywhere).

— Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of spiral

Verb

Captured by the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, or SMILE, the footage reveals the full ring of auroral activity encircling Earth's north pole in ultraviolet light, stretching across both the night and day sides of our planet.

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Dumas watched, charmed, his arms encircling his wife’s shoulders, and accepted an ice-cream sundae in a silver parfait cup.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of encircling

Verb

Then getting that energy to major cities means traversing some of the most pristine, spectacular natural corridors this nation has left, and particularly in the Southwest, rubbing up against the sacred lands of local tribal communities.

— Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
Oil drops as Hormuz traffic rebounds Oil prices fell as new data showed crude exports from the Middle East surpassed prewar levels, though any respite may be short-lived as attacks on tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz increased.

— Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of traversing

Adjective

Libfeld brought a massive, spiraling kudu horn to practice with at a recent Torat Emet shofar class.

— Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 27 Aug. 2026
Aside from a spiraling Wanda, there was also an onslaught of high-profile cameos, which almost felt like fandom wish fulfillment designed to keep us entertained when Wanda wasn’t around.

— EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of spiraling

Verb

If Taipei refrains from crossing the ultimate red line of declaring formal independence, Beijing appears confident in its long-term strategy of integration.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
On Monday, the 33-year-old endurance swimmer emerged from the water after crossing the latitude of the California-Mexico border and became the first person to swim the length of California.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of crossing

Browse Nearby Words

circlets

circling

circuit

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Style

“Circling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circling. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of circling

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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