1

churn

noun \ ˈchərn \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: churn in a Sentence

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

See churn defined for kids

Recent Examples of churn from the Web

Penney’s apparel business languished, and there was churn in the c-suite more recently, with the head of tech and the chief merchant.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "J.C. Penney CEO Jumps Ship For Lowe's, Igniting New Crisis for the Department Store," 22 May 2018
Another is that this latest wave of department-store closings is simply part of the inevitable churn of an evolving retail scene.

— rick romell, USA TODAY, "Bon-Ton's demise leaves towns with fewer shopping choices," 2 May 2018
The postpaid phone churn rate came in at 1.07%, down from 1.18% for the comparable year-ago period.

— drew fitzgerald, WSJ, "T-Mobile Rings Up Subscriber Growth," 1 May 2018
Another is that this latest wave of department-store closings is simply part of the inevitable churn of an evolving retail scene.

— rick romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bon-Ton bankruptcy pinches shopping choices in smaller Wisconsin cities," 1 May 2018
Following another business-as-usual set from Riot Fest mainstays the Buzzcocks, the violent churn of Ministry felt almost refreshing.

— adam lukach, RedEye Chicago, "Track all the Chicago artists at Riot Fest this weekend," 18 Sep. 2017
Nwadiogbu's studio is located on one of its quieter streets, away from the churn of Lagos's 17 million plus people.

— munachim amah and meron moges-gerbi, CNN, "Inside Nigeria's hyperrealist art scene," 6 Apr. 2018
Caught in the Trump administration’s unprecedented staff churn, Reynolds was pushed aside for P. Daniel Smith, who was considered more of an ally to the White House.

— kurtis alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, "New Yosemite leader Michael Reynolds faces challenges in valley he knows well," 1 Apr. 2018
Instill an ethic of movement beyond the churn of flat dribble hand-offs.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "The Bucks Have Serious Soul-Searching To Do," 30 Mar. 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 chyrne, from Old English cyrin; akin to Old Norse kjarni churn

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Household Terms

cruet, curiosity, duvet, fiasco, sham, taper, valance, whatnot

2

churn

verb

Definition of churn

churned; churning; churns

transitive verb

1 : to agitate (milk or cream) in a churn in order to make butter

The farmer churns his cream every day.

2 a : 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)

2 a : 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

See churn defined for English-language learners

Examples of churn in a Sentence

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 of churn from the Web

Framed by oceans to the east and west, with the Mississippi in its middle churning endlessly toward the Gulf of Mexico, America is defined by water that takes us places.

— danny heitman, WSJ, "‘Still Waters: The Secret World of Lakes’ Review: Earth’s Many Eyes," 25 May 2018
This week the season also looked to get an early start with a system churning in the Gulf of Mexico becoming better defined.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Forecasters call for more normal, but still active, Atlantic hurricane season," 24 May 2018
Houston’s ConocoPhillips is bucking the trend of churning as much oil out of the booming Permian Basin as possible, instead focusing on less crowded areas like South Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale.

— jordan blum, San Antonio Express-News, "ConocoPhillips turns back to the Eagle Ford," 20 May 2018
With their tiny legs churning and floppy ears flopping, dozens of dachshunds dashed onto the sand in Huntington Beach on Saturday during the third annual SoCal Wienerfest.

— daily pilot staff, latimes.com, "Dachshunds have a doggone good time at SoCal Wienerfest," 20 May 2018
Lemke and his family were from a place of 15,000 lakes, but not a drop of churning salt surf.

— william thornton, AL.com, "Matt Akin to become Gulf Shores School Superintendent," 29 Apr. 2018
The house has a history of churning up surprising objects, including art-making materials like wads of cloth used to daub paint and improvised drawing tools found during a University of Idaho archaeological dig in 2016.

— anna webb, idahostatesman, "Boise artist James Castle’s home opens to the public this month. Here’s what to know | Idaho Statesman," 10 Apr. 2018
The paper wanted to see whether automatic adjustments would keep players engaged instead of churning away out of frustration or dissatisfaction.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Eagle-eyed YouTuber discovers ongoing EA online-matchmaking shenanigans," 10 Jan. 2018
Environmentalists worry such activity will churn up sand, clouding the sea and disrupting the natural food chain.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Hundreds of Blue Whales Are Permanent Residents Off New Zealand’s Coasts," 18 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.

Origin and Etymology of churn

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

churn Synonyms

Synonyms

boil, roil, seethe;

Near Antonyms

abate, calm, subside;

Related Words

reel, spin, swirl, whirl;

CHURN Defined for English Language Learners

churn

noun

Definition of churn for English Language Learners

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

churn

verb

Definition of churn for English Language Learners

: to stir or mix something (such as water or mud) with force
: to move in a circle
: to make (butter) by stirring or shaking cream in a churn

CHURN Defined for Kids

1

churn

noun \ ˈchərn \

Definition of churn for Students

: a container in which milk or cream is stirred or shaken in making butter

2

churn

verb

Definition of churn for Students

churned; churning

1 : to stir or shake in a churn (as in making butter)

2 : to stir or shake forcefully

The boat's motor churned up the mucky water.

3 : to feel the effects of an emotion (as fear)

My stomach churned as I stood on the stage.

4 : to move by or as if by forceful stirring action

Steamboats churned up and down the river.

Law Dictionary

churn

transitive verb \ ˈchərn \

legal Definition of churn

: to make (the account of a client) excessively active by frequent purchases and sales primarily in order to generate commissions

Note: Churning is a violation of federal securities laws.

Learn More about churn

See words that rhyme with churn Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for churn Spanish Central: Translation of churn Nglish: Translation of churn for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of churn for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about churn

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up churn? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

balmy

play

soothing, mild, or foolish

BROWSE DICTIONARY

churly

churm

churn

churnability

churn barrel

Test Your Vocabulary

Name More Food!

Name that Fruit!

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games