churn

noun

\ ˈchərn

plural churns

Definition of churn

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a container in which cream is stirred or shaken to make butter

2 : a regular, quantifiable process or rate of change that occurs in a business over a period of time as existing customers are lost and new customers are added The biggest problem they face is churn. Wireless providers lose an average of about 30% of their customers a year to competitors.— Brian O'Reilly also : a similar process or rate of change involving loss and addition of employees, companies, etc. The resulting employment churn—the average job tenure is now two years, and today's typical 32-year-old has held nine different jobs—means more risks as well as more opportunities to discover new paths. — Jamais Cascio

churn

verb

churned; churning; churns

Definition of churn (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to agitate (milk or cream) in a churn in order to make butter The farmer churns his cream every day.

2a : to stir or agitate violently an old stern-wheeler churning the muddy river larger particles pound and churn the Moon's surface— E. M. Shoemaker

b : to make (something, such as foam) by so doing

3 : to make (the account of a client) excessively active by frequent purchases and sales primarily in order to generate commissions unscrupulous brokers may churn an account, trading frequently to generate high commissions— Mary Rowland

intransitive verb

1 : to work a churn (as in making butter)

2a : to produce, proceed with, or experience violent motion or agitation her stomach was churning churning legs

b : to proceed by or as if by means of rotating members (such as wheels or propellers) boats churning across the harbor

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about churn

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Synonyms for churn

Synonyms: Verb

boil, moil, roil, seethe

Examples of churn in a Sentence

Verb

The motorboats churned the water. The water churned all around us. The wheels began to slowly churn. He showed them how to churn butter.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Amid that churn, Berhalter has the Jamaica game at D.C. United’s Audi Field and then Sunday’s meeting with Venezuela in Cincinnati to get his group Gold Cup-ready. — Brian Straus, SI.com, "Berhalter Seeks to Fit Together Eclectic USMNT Pieces Before Gold Cup," 4 June 2019 The national mood on this matter was nicely summarized in a recent New York Times book review that mentioned one man’s effort to unplug completely from the churn of daily news: His life seemed sad and lonely, not exhilarating. — Christopher Beha, Harper's magazine, "Winning the Peace," 10 May 2019 Current and former staffers say there’s been a similar churn at the middle levels, leaving scores of former White House employees looking for positions. — Annie Linskey, BostonGlobe.com, "Putting ‘White House’ on the resume is less of a boost," 15 May 2018 So, how is Meghan handling the constant churn of the rumor mill? — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Here's How Meghan Markle Is Handling the Latest Round of Royal Drama," 1 Dec. 2018 If people are moving to better jobs, labor-market churn can be a healthy sign. — Andrew Van Dam, chicagotribune.com, "Is it great to be a worker in the U.S.? Not compared with the rest of the developed world.," 5 July 2018 If people are moving to better jobs, labor-market churn can be a healthy sign. — Andrew Van Dam, latimes.com, "The economy is hot, yet many U.S. workers feel left behind. A new report sheds some light," 5 July 2018 If people are moving to better jobs, labor-market churn can be a healthy sign. — Andrew Van Dam, BostonGlobe.com, "Limited unionization and government aid hold back US workers, study says," 4 July 2018 To watch the Rockets' offense churn is to see some of the best basketball players in the world at a loss. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "The Rockets’ Isolation Offense Is an Opponents' Nightmare," 20 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Soon, the dangling 74-year-old was violently churning like a runaway windmill. — Author: Timothy Bella, Anchorage Daily News, "74-year-old spins wildly in basket under Arizona rescue helicopter," 5 June 2019 So Wasser lies awake at night, his mind churning, trying to figure out more effective ways to attack the problem. — Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times, "Sam Wasser pours his intense passion for protecting wildlife into research and catching poachers," 21 May 2019 The family and several neighbors watched the tornado churn across a rolling prairie and into the mountains, missing their house by under a mile. — Fox News, "Onlookers ogle Wyoming tornado that damages handful of homes," 7 June 2018 In September, as Hurricane Florence churned toward the Carolina coast Thasos watched evacuation zones and found that in well-to-do census blocks, 65% of the people fled, while only 39% left poor areas. — Ryan Dezember, WSJ, "Your Smartphone’s Location Data Is Worth Big Money to Wall Street," 2 Nov. 2018 On Saturday, as waves churned, no swimming was permitted at Maryland’s Assateague State Park, the park said on Twitter. — Washington Post, "4 shootings reported in 8 hours Saturday," 9 July 2018 Nearby resident Richard Schott, 34, watched from a police checkpoint as the eruption churned just over a ridgeline and behind some trees. — CBS News, "Gas released by volcano eruption poses immediate danger, officials warn," 15 May 2018 As the storm churns north, rain will likely continue in South Florida at least through Wednesday. — Jenny Staletovich And Kyra Gurney, miamiherald, "Messy Gulf storm could become rare preseason tropical system | Miami Herald," 14 May 2018 Nearby resident Richard Schott, 34, sat near a police checkpoint and watched as the eruption churned just over a ridgeline and behind some trees. — Caleb Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Noisy Hawaiian volcano lava fissure prompts more evacuations," 13 May 2018

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

History and Etymology for churn

Noun

Middle English chirne, cherne, going back to Old English cirm (erroneously for cirin or cirn), cyrin, going back to Germanic *kernō, kernōn (whence also Middle Dutch keerne, kerne "butter churn," Middle Low German kerne, karne, kirne, Old Norse kirna —in kirnuaskr "churn pail"), of uncertain origin

Verb

Middle English chyrnen, derivative of chirne, cherne churn entry 1

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