gyre

noun

\ ˈjī(-ə)r

Definition of gyre

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a circular or spiral motion or form especially : a giant circular oceanic surface current

gyre

verb

gyred; gyring

Definition of gyre (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to move in a circle or spiral

Other Words from gyre Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about gyre

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Did You Know?

Noun

William Butler Yeats opens his 1920 poem, "The Second Coming," with the following lines: "Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world…." Often found in poetic or literary contexts as an alternative to the more familiar "circle" or "spiral," "gyre" comes via the Latin gyrus from the Greek gyros, meaning "ring" or "circle." Today, "gyre" is most frequently encountered as an oceanographic term that refers to vast circular systems of ocean currents, such as the North Atlantic Gyre, a system of currents circling clockwise between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. "Gyre" is also sometimes used of more localized vortices such as those produced by whirlpools or tornados.

Examples of gyre in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Each gyre has its own character, according to Eriksen. — Rowan Jacobsen, Outside Online, "An Ocean Plastics Field Trip for Corporate Executives," 8 Aug. 2019 Like plastic swept into an ocean gyre, the wreckage of American masculinity seems to drift up to the U.P. and never leave. — Bruce Barcott, New York Times, "Even in Hemingway’s Woods, Sometimes a Man Needs to Cry," 2 Aug. 2019 Garbage patches like the one in the Pacific Ocean are formed by rotating ocean currents called gyres, which pull objects into one location, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. — Michelle Lou, CNN, "Environmentalists removed more than 40 tons of trash from the Pacific -- and it barely made a dent," 30 June 2019 That's a huge floating blob of plastic trash halfway between California and Hawaii drawn together by ocean currents to create a gyre. — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, "Turns out there's more plastic pollution in the deep ocean than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch," 6 June 2019 Golden fragments of seaweed float by, escapees, perhaps, from the Sargasso Sea’s swirling gyre in the Atlantic Ocean. — Helen Scales, Discover Magazine, "Hearing Nemo," 17 Aug. 2018 Overall, the animals could be found within these whirlpool-like gyres more than three-fourths of the time. — Brian J. Skerry, National Geographic, "Why Great White Sharks Hang Out in Warm Whirlpools," 19 June 2018 Slat originally envisioned one massive boom, more than 60 miles long, blocking trash in the middle of the gyre, with ships arriving occasionally to haul away the mess. — James Rainey /, NBC News, "A young Dutch inventor wants to clean plastic from the ocean. Can he do it?," 13 June 2018 Mueller has remained an impassive cypher: the stoic, silent figure at the center of America’s political gyre. — Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, "The Untold Story of Robert Mueller's Time in Combat," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gyre.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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gyre

Definition of gyre

Other Words from gyre

Did You Know?

Examples of gyre in a Sentence

First Known Use of gyre

History and Etymology for gyre

gyre

Definition of gyre

Other Words from gyre

Did You Know?

Examples of gyre in a Sentence

First Known Use of gyre

History and Etymology for gyre

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