whir

verb \ ˈhwər , ˈwər \

variants: or less commonly whirr

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Examples: whir in a Sentence

Definition of whir

whirred; whirring

intransitive verb

: to fly, revolve, or move rapidly with a whir

hummingbirds whirring past

transitive verb

: to move or carry rapidly with a whir

See whir defined for kids

Examples of whir in a Sentence

the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower
our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough road

Recent Examples of whir from the Web

All the mechanisms whirring to keep this sweaty little Southern horror story going will likely lead Sharp Objects to the type of Emmy’s domination the Big Little Lies crew enjoyed last year.

— refinery29.com, "Sharp Objects Review: It’s Exactly What You Need During The Big Little Lies Drought," 5 July 2018
With clumps of people watching from their stoops or the sidewalk, fireworks whirred, popped and boomed just above the two-story houses near the 3500 block of 14th Street NW.

— reis thebault, Washington Post, "Fourth of July celebrations more meaningful, worrisome for some Americans," 4 July 2018
But that hasn’t stopped Bay Staters from regularly crossing into Seabrook and other New Hampshire towns before the Fourth of July and loading up on all manner of smoking, booming, spinning, and whirring explosives.

— j.d. capelouto and marek mazurek, BostonGlobe.com, "Across N.H. border, business is booming at fireworks stores — with shoppers from Mass.," 3 July 2018
During the raid, helicopters whirred overhead, and officers from six law enforcement agencies swarmed the plant, the Salem News reported.

— chrissie thompson, Cincinnati.com, "ICE arrests 146 undocumented immigrants in Ohio raids at meat-packing plants," 20 June 2018
The machine whirred and beeped for a moment, then the door slid open with a clunk, and a robotic arm dispensed the appropriate currency.

— spud hilton, San Francisco Chronicle, "High-tech Vegas: Is your hotel room smarter than you?," 3 May 2018
First released two months after 9/11 with a spinning, magnetic hard drive that whirred audibly, the device was instrumental in turning Apple’s fortunes around.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "Apple's Airpods Are an Omen," 12 June 2018
For this dish, whir arugula with a little basil into a pesto — arugula gives the sauce an appealing, bitter edge — and thin the pesto with pasta cooking water.

— karoline boehm goodnick, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipe: Think of this pasta with melted cherry tomatoes and arugula pesto as your new go-to dish," 11 June 2018
Banán makes luscious, yogurt-like soft serve from pure fruit that’s frozen and then whirred to creamy consistency.

— ac shilton, Outside Online, "Carissa Moore's Guide to Honolulu's Best Food," 23 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of whir

Middle English (Scots) quirren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish hvirre to whirl, whir

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

whir Synonyms

Synonyms

bumble, burr, buzz, drone, hum, whish, whiz (or whizz), zip, zoom;

Related Words

chirr, churr;

thrum;

fizz, hiss, murmur, purr, rustle, sigh, sizzle, swish, whisper;

coo, curr;

wheeze, whistle, whoosh;

whir

noun

variants: or less commonly whirr

Definition of whir

: a continuous fluttering or vibratory sound made by something in rapid motion

the whir of machinery

See whir defined for English-language learners

Examples of whir in a Sentence

the whir of a fan
a whir coming from the refrigerator

Recent Examples of whir from the Web

Out the window, a helicopter whirs past CenturyLink Field, where Wilson compiled half of his MVP-caliber 2017 season, his sixth as the Seahawks’ QB.

— jamie lisanti, SI.com, "Fashionable 50," 10 July 2018
As fire hoses pump the retardant into awaiting LVATs, the bridge above the pumps vibrates, echoing the colossal whir of the tanker's engine.

— julia sclafani and jordan cutler-tietjen, sacbee, "Seen those tankers above Sacramento? The low-down on Cal Fire's biggest base at McClellan," 3 July 2018
Around him mechanical cranes whir, hoisting employees looking for products on towering shelves.

— nomaan merchant, Cincinnati.com, "Hunger, fear, desperation: What came of an ordinary ICE raid in Covington," 9 July 2018
Every few minutes, the whir of a machine starting up can be heard in the background and a loud cheer goes up when someone lands a sick ariel or pops out of a barrel.

— hemal jhaveri, For The Win, "How Kelly Slater took surfing out of the ocean and onto dry land," 3 July 2018
Behind them, in the darkness, rescue workers toiled Sunday under the light of electric bulbs and amid the whir of drills and water pumps as the desperate search for 12 boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach continued for a ninth consecutive day.

— george styllis, latimes.com, "Water pumps, drills and Buddhist prayers power desperate search for boys trapped in Thailand cave," 1 July 2018
Listen to the chirps, whirs and flutter of the creatures that still stir and witness the night-blooming plants.

— sonja haller, azcentral, "Best kids things to do in Phoenix in July: Splash pad parties, shark feeds and free fun," 28 June 2018
Image More than crickets and fireflies, more than baseball and cookouts, perhaps nothing signals the arrival of summer in the United States like the soft familiar whir of air-conditioning.

— New York Times, "The World Wants Air-Conditioning. That Could Warm the World.," 15 May 2018
Listen to the chirps, whirs and flutter of the creatures that still stir and witness the night-blooming plants.

— sonja haller, azcentral, "Best kids things to do in Phoenix in July: Splash pad parties, shark feeds and free fun," 28 June 2018

First Known Use of whir

1677

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

whir Synonyms

Synonyms

burr, buzz, chirr, churr, drone, hum, purr, thrum, whiz (or whizz), zoom;

Near Antonyms

bawl, howl, roar, scream, screech, shriek, squall, squeal, yelp, yell;

whish, zing, zip;

WHIR Defined for English Language Learners

whir

noun

Definition of whir for English Language Learners

: the sound made by something that is spinning very fast

WHIR Defined for Kids

whir

verb \ ˈhwər , ˈwər \

Definition of whir for Students

whirred; whirring

: to fly, operate, or turn rapidly with a buzzing sound

… the machines stopped whirring, and from then on, not a single chocolate … was made.
—Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

whir

noun

Definition of whir for Students

: a buzzing sound made by something spinning or operating quickly

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See words that rhyme with whir Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for whir Spanish Central: Translation of whir Nglish: Translation of whir for Spanish speakers

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whir

Definition of whir

Examples of whir in a Sentence

Recent Examples of whir from the Web

Origin and Etymology of whir

whir Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

whir

Definition of whir

Examples of whir in a Sentence

Recent Examples of whir from the Web

First Known Use of whir

whir Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

WHIR Defined for English Language Learners

whir

Definition of whir for English Language Learners

WHIR Defined for Kids

whir

Definition of whir for Students

whir

Definition of whir for Students

Learn More about whir

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