gyration

noun

gy·​ra·​tion jī-ˈrā-shən 

1

: an act or instance of gyrating

2

: something (such as a coil of a shell) that is gyrate

gyrational

jī-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• pirouette
• reel
• revolution
• roll
• rotation
• spin
• twirl
• wheel
• whirl

Examples of gyration in a Sentence

dizzy from the spirally gyrations of the roller coaster

Recent Examples on the Web

His camera’s graceful gyrations render all the more explicit the inextricable bond of dramas and their landscapes, embodying the film’s ideal of a physical and aesthetic connection with nature—its preoccupations with the spiritual dimensions of landscape and climate, color and texture. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025

The authors ultimately identified two distinct forms of equilibrium that enable steady-state hula hooping: a synchronization process causing the hoop to twirl at the same frequency as the gyration motion, directing its center outward, and the hoop's vertical positioning. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2025

There is no reason to goose the process with crazy gyrations and pleading conversations with officials. —Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 23 Jan. 2025

Applications to refinance a home loan, which are most sensitive to interest rate gyrations, fell 36% from two weeks before. —Diana Olick, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for gyration

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Medical Definition

gyration

noun

gy·​ra·​tion jī-ˈrā-shən 

: the pattern of convolutions of the brain