churn

noun \ ˈchərn \

|Updated on: 21 Aug 2018

Definition of churn

plural churns

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

See churn defined for English-language learners

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Recent Examples of churn from the Web

Remembering it put a shock of sweat in his armpits, and his stomach gave a fearful churn.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "A transgender girl rises up against alien invaders in Rich Larson’s novel Annex," 8 July 2018
The non-stop churn of dribble hand-offs made the Sixers tough to guard and resulted in the most productive scoring season of Redick's career.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "NBA Free Agency 2018: Top 50 Players Available," 25 June 2018
Up through the end of the Copper Age, around 5,000 years ago, genetic records show that the Central Steppe was fairly stable (unlike Europe, which was one big churn of migrations and population turnover).

— kiona n. smith, Ars Technica, "Tracing how horse domestication turned the Eurasian Steppe into a highway," 11 May 2018
Cao leaned over the back of his boat, mesmerized by the sun playing on the churn of arctic water.

— cate mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "Cao Jun: the dance and the chance of it," 28 Mar. 2018
One of the most tepid hot-stove seasons in recent memory has not halted the churn of the gossip mill.

— dennis lin, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Contrary to report, Padres have not made offer to Carlos Gonzalez," 5 Jan. 2018
But the leadership churn has slowed down important plans, including the renovation of the Philharmonic’s home, now called David Geffen Hall, which has been on and off for 20 years.

— michael cooper, New York Times, "Turmoil at Lincoln Center: Infighting, Money Troubles, Scrapped Projects," 1 July 2018
Being either ignored or attacked by Trump can be demoralizing, and the staff churn that was constant during Trump’s first year has not slowed.

— katie rogers, The Seattle Times, "‘Drama, action, emotional power’: As exhausted aides eye exits, Trump re-energized," 10 June 2018
The historic level of first-year staff churn at the White House has slowed down the pipeline for approvals.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: Trump has no nominees for 245 important jobs, including an ambassador to South Korea," 12 Jan. 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.

Origin and Etymology of churn

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year