pirouette 1 of 2

noun

ˌpir-ə-ˈwet How to pronounce pirouette (audio)
Definition of pirouettenext
as in rotation
a rapid turning about on an axis or central point the ballerina's perfectly executed pirouette

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pirouette

2 of 2

verb

as in to rotate
to move in circles around an axis or center the ballerina pirouetted across the stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 pirouette
Noun
On bars – her weakest event – Jade Carey fought through a late pirouette to nearly nail her full-twisting double layout dismount. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 After shaking hands with the Italian, Kostyuk did a pirouette on court. — ABC News, 8 July 2026
Verb
Yohannes pirouetted around Arsenal’s defenders not once, not twice but three times before the half-time whistle. — Megan Feringa, New York Times, 3 May 2026 The Chinese duo’s voices pirouette around a pulse that sounds like a car door chime as abortive crashes puncture the otherwise placid, kickless ambience. — James Gui, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pirouette
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pirouette
  1. rotation
  2. rotate
  3. twirl
  4. revolve
  5. spin
  6. curve
  7. roll
Noun
  • Officers are sent to this remote station on rotations of two or three months, with fresh water and food delivered weekly by trucks that make a five-hour journey across dusty desert roads.
    — Nathan Jaccard, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • While Rubin’s most recent looks have been crafted by makeup artist Shayna Gold, whose A-list client rotation also includes Jennifer Lawrence and Grace Gummer, she has not been named as the visionary behind this one.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotation
Verb
  • Earlier this year, Jo Malone London transformed Center Stage, the rotating pop-up space on the main floor of Nordstrom’s New York flagship, into an immersive vegetable garden in celebration of its Brit Veggies Collection, for example.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Capitol Corner Bar plans to offer rotating seasonal cocktails, too.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of rotate
Noun
  • Inside a historic church on Park Avenue, two dancers clothed in blue-and-pink brocade twirl up and down the aisles to a string-heavy soundtrack.
    — Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 26 June 2026
  • The actress, who was styled by Karla Welch, adorned the look with a gold twirl necklace that was also part of the collection and featured on the runway paired with the same dress.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 20 May 2026
Definition of twirl
Verb
  • Kura Sushi, a tech-forward revolving sushi bar with more than 100 menu items, also debuted in Ballantyne this summer.
    — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Over the past two decades, the CCP has come to revolve ever more tightly around a single man.
    — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of revolve
Noun
  • The researchers placed them inside YbSb₂ and watched how their spins changed as the material crossed into its superconducting state.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Sargent will take a spin in the spotlight as breakthrough director for Take Me Home, which was based on her short film of the same name about a woman caring for her aging parents.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of spin
Noun
  • Gen Z is already acting on dissatisfaction, which means the window to build defensible AI practices is closing while adoption curves are still climbing.
    — Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026
  • But Muse and dots offer this type of service to a huge commercial audience with almost no learning curve.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of curve
Noun
  • Voting rights groups had challenged the effort, noting federal data includes errors that have led to citizens being wrongly removed from electoral rolls.
    — Patrick Marley, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The restroom was missing a toilet paper dispenser, rolls of toilet paper were observed on a grab rail next to the toilet.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of roll

Browse Nearby Words

pirogues
pirouette
pirouetted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pirouette.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pirouette. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pirouette

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pirouette

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All