chiefly Scottish
as in to drink
to take part in drunken revelry spent a good part of his time in Edinburgh birling into the wee small hours of the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 birl There was sea salt in the air, and sleepless seagulls were birling in the darkness overhead. Douglas Stuart, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2020 Another, unable to reach dry land, dug his spiked boots into a slippery timber and birled downriver. Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 16 Feb. 2019 In some parts of the United States, birling contests are annual events. Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 16 Feb. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birl
Verb
  • Cats appear to be more susceptible to bird flu as dozens of cats have died from eating raw pet food or drinking raw milk contaminated with the virus.
    Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 28 Jan. 2025
  • But even two people who drink the same amount may be affected differently, depending on their genes and other risk factors.
    Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 28 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • From there, a series of scenes — a late-night house party full of adults drinking and carousing, a cascade of tinsel falling off a Christmas tree, a playground fail — replicate a you-are-there feeling as a preadolescent named Elwood Curtis navigates the agonies and ecstasies of boyhood.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Serving guests, some of them still carousing from the previous evening out, was never enough.
    Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 19 July 2024
Verb
  • Host Nikki Glaser, fresh from her successful emceeing duties, was seen reveling with fellow comedian Nate Bargatze, both basking in the evening’s triumphs.
    Vogue, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2025
  • To revel or not to revel:In wake of terror attack, the music is back on in New Orleans FBI provides timeline prior to deadly attack Further investigation revealed that Jabbar stayed at a rental home in New Orleans beginning Oct. 30, 2024, according to Myrthil.
    Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who. wellness brain structure & function brain 1 free article left Want More?
    Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Hard to not let the optimism slowly creep back in… Time to binge some Cooper Flagg highlights M Matt C. · 8h 58m ago Quickley has played 9 games and has had 12 injuries.
    Eric Koreen, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • This drink was often used as part of wassailing in England.
    BHG Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 June 2023
  • Reisinger's Apple Country, located in Watkins Glen on Seneca Lake, also has a wassailing event on the horizon.
    Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Jan. 2018

Thesaurus Entries Near birl

Cite this Entry

“Birl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birl. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.

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