whir
verb
, ˈwər\
Definition of whir
(Entry 1 of 2)
whir
nounDefinition of whir (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms for whir
Synonyms: Verb
bumble, burr, buzz, drone, hum, whish, whiz (or whizz), zip, zoom
Synonyms: Noun
burr, buzz, chirr, churr, drone, hum, purr, thrum, whiz (or whizz), zoom
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of whir in a Sentence
Verb
the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough roadNoun
the whir of a fan a whir coming from the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
After a moment, the remaining nine rotors start whirring, a flock of mowers. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "The First Flying-Car Review," 12 Sep. 2018 Yet Washington’s bureaucratic machinery whirred into action nonetheless – working to produce a policy that could be seen as supporting Trump’s whim. — Philip Rucker, The Seattle Times, "Officials scramble to make Trump’s false assertions real," 23 Oct. 2018 The companies just whir them all together and dump out the cumbersome pulp instead. — Christine Lennon, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Hunger Games," 11 June 2012 Meanwhile, the Robocar and its four 135kW electric motors eventually whirred up the hill in about 1 minute and 16 seconds. — Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Robot racecars storm the most glamorous hill in motorsports," 3 Aug. 2018 For a third dish, whir a hearty spread of white beans and tahini in a food processor and spike it with plenty of lemon; the puree is similar to hummus. — Sally Pasley Vargas, BostonGlobe.com, "Prepare several mezze plates for this rehearsal dinner, which won’t cost a crazy amount of money," 4 June 2018 Add sweetened condensed milk, honey, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; pulse, occasionally scraping side of bowl, until smooth and whirring around blade in continuous wave. — The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, Good Housekeeping, "Easiest-Ever Fruit and Coconut Ice Cream," 27 July 2018 Huge fans whir on the ceiling and smaller ones are clamped to each rack. — Lina Zeldovich, Popular Mechanics, "The Vertical Farm That Lifted a Family," 2 June 2016 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 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
At night, the faintest whir of helicopter blades would jolt her from bed; wounded were on the way. — Jim Rendon, Marie Claire, "When Female Veterans Return Home," 29 Oct. 2018 While mass-production building whirs away, custom homes have been a slower project across the rest of the region: The lots are less uniform, the terrain is more rugged, and the fire-safety design standards in many cases are more stringent. — Susie Cagle, Curbed, "California’s changing fire country," 10 Oct. 2018 Rowing has a meditative effect, with its rhythmic motion and surreal quiet, apart from breathing, faint splashes, and the whir of the seat rolling back and forth. — Marcia Desanctis, Town & Country, "Rowing Is a Full-Body Workout You Can Do at Any Age," 23 June 2017 On July 10, a helicopter’s lights shone down on the town of Mae Sai, its whir breaking through the night sky. — Shibani Mahtani, Washington Post, "‘Time is running out’: Inside the treacherous rescue of boys trapped in a Thai cave," 13 July 2018 But down in the living room was just the whir of the record, spinning past the last song, the needle arm retired to the side. — Rebecca Makkai, chicagotribune.com, "An excerpt from 'The Great Believers' by Rebecca Makkai: 1985," 21 May 2018 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 2018These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for whir
whir
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of whir
See the full definition for whir in the English Language Learners Dictionary
whir
verb
, ˈwər\
Kids Definition of whir
(Entry 1 of 2)
whir
nounKids Definition of whir (Entry 2 of 2)
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on whir
What made you want to look up whir? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
What did you just call me?! A Quiz
-
- If a member of the audience describes your speech as bombastic, does that person mean it is:
Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share whir
Resources for whir