churn

1 of 2

noun

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

churn

2 of 2

verb

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 surfaceE. M. Shoemaker
b
: to make (something, such as foam) by so doing
3
of a stockbroker or brokerage : 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 commissionsMary 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

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
There’s no avenue for growth, which means customer churn will increase. Scott Anderson, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 As Hurricane Helene continues its steady churn toward the U.S., airlines are starting to cancel flights ahead of its arrival. Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
Could Hurricane Helene impact Indiana? Tropical Storm Helene has been churning in the western Caribbean and could emerge into a potentially monster hurricane, warn forecasters. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Sep. 2024 The system will also churn up seas in the Gulf and could produce rough surf and dangerous rip currents for much of the basin, especially later this week. Mary Gilbert, CNN, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for churn 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'churn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of churn was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near churn

Cite this Entry

“Churn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/churn. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

churn

1 of 2 noun
: a container in which milk or cream is stirred or shaken in making butter

churn

2 of 2 verb
1
: to stir or shake in a churn (as in making butter)
2
a
: to stir or shake violently
the boat's propeller churning the water
b
: to produce, move with, or experience violent motion or agitation
her stomach was churning
churning legs

Legal Definition

churn

transitive verb
ˈchərn
: 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.

More from Merriam-Webster on churn

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