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Definition of "gyre" []

  • A circular or spiral form; a vortex: "rain swirling the night into tunnels and gyres” ( Anthony Hyde). (noun)
  • A circular or spiral motion, especially a circular ocean current. (noun)
  • To whirl. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "gyre" in a sentence
  • "While historically this debris has biodegraded, the gyre is now accumulating vast quantities of plastic and marine debris."
  • "A gyre is a slowly moving spiral of currents created by a high pressure system of air currents."
  • "This rotating pattern, known as a gyre, occurs as a result of the clockwise winds that typically occur in this region."