Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb swirl
2 senses of swirl
Sense 1
twirl, swirl, twiddle, whirl -- (turn in a twisting or spinning motion; "The leaves swirled in the autumn wind")
=> revolve, go around, rotate -- (turn on or around an axis or a center; "The Earth revolves around the Sun"; "The lamb roast rotates on a spit over the fire")
Sense 2
eddy, purl, whirlpool, swirl, whirl -- (flow in a circular current, of liquids)
=> run, flow, feed, course -- (move along, of liquids; "Water flowed into the cave"; "the Missouri feeds into the Mississippi")