birls

present tense third-person singular of birl, chiefly Scottish
as in wassails
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for birls
Verb
  • The impression is of a raucous house party—one in which secrets are spilled, kisses are stolen, and everyone drinks far too much.
    — Zing Tsjeng, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Current law says that if an accuser knowingly and willingly drinks too much, there is no crime for someone else to take advantage of the accuser’s incapacitation.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • At first, it was thought that over time, governments would want to allow growth to organically whittle down debt-to-income ratios, which is the ideal way to pay down massive peacetime spending and tax cut binges.
    — Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Adulting right doesn’t mean giving up your late-night movie binges.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 3 June 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Birls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birls. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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