A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once.
Used in a Sentence
spirals
Definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and sentence examples for spirals.
Editorial note
More users (i.e., your friends) drive higher service levels (more Uber drivers and quicker service times, which spirals).
Examples16
Definitions4
Parts of speech1
Quick take
A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once.
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of spirals gathered in one view.
(geometry) A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.
(informal) A helix.
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for spirals.
noun
A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once.
noun
(geometry) A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.
noun
(informal) A helix.
noun
(rail transport) A section of track that forms a circle and crosses over itself, used for gaining height in mountainous territory.
Example sentences
More users (i.e., your friends) drive higher service levels (more Uber drivers and quicker service times, which spirals).
At that office, there is a beautiful staircase that spirals around the middle of an open central area.
Apart from the Romanesque cauliflower, these images mostly just show examples of phyllotactic spirals, which are not really fractals.
Rigid financial systems have failed and will do so again if the interest rate (inevitably?) spirals out of control.
And if you can't convince yourself to keep moving forward, it eventually spirals from there.
Nothing about democracy is provability optimal, and North American democratic discourse spirals away from logic and scientific method based thinking every day.
If people started to work less the basic income scheme would not have a source from tax and it spirals down GDP.
This is especially useful because it prevents downward spirals from happening before they begin.
For more on Fibonacci spirals see this[1] excellent video series by Vi Hart.
How long before it spirals out of control, if it hasn't already?
Strangely, such a primitive question spirals out into having enormous consequences.
This may seem inconsequential but sometimes it spirals out of control.
Quote examples
Haven't graduated to moleskine yet, just the composition books for "back-of-the-envelope" type notes, and spirals for meeting/strategy/etc.
Couple of things stood out: The DNA has been sequenced but the article reports that "The bacterial cells have densely packed spirals that are probably DNA".
One other factor is that most systems and programs of a certain size are actually quite hard to work with - the "average" may not be enough, driving costs and unnecessary complexity until the system spirals into it's own collapse and eventual replacement.
More and more lines, where other people are or were responsible, where any reason has been driven out (your learning experience by asking "why is this written or designed like this" gets short circuited with a quick "well, who knows") - which slowly but surely spirals down quality, engagement and fun.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use spirals in a sentence?
More users (i.e., your friends) drive higher service levels (more Uber drivers and quicker service times, which spirals).
What does spirals mean?
A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once.
What part of speech is spirals?
spirals is commonly used as noun.