variants
or less commonly whirr
whirred; whirring
: to fly, revolve, or move rapidly with a whir
hummingbirds whirring past
: to move or carry rapidly with a whir
variants
or less commonly whirr
: a continuous fluttering or vibratory sound made by something in rapid motion
the whir of machinery
Synonyms
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 road
Noun
the whir of a fan
a whir coming from the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web
Stephanie Nolen and Eleanor Lutz. Photography and Video By Federico Rios Escobar For The New York Times. Eleanor Lutz, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
That one will probably develop and may whir disconcertingly close to the Lesser Antilles.
—Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
But the softly whirring rig wasn’t searching for fossil fuels.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
From the opening arresting trumpet solo by Christopher Smith to the happy buzz and whir from the brass and percussion sections in the finale, Payare and company took the audience on a thrilling ride that prompted wild applause when all was done.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2023
At first, Weiner would bike 20 miles or so, and that kind of distance would exhaust her enough to stop her brain from whirring, at least temporarily.
—Stephanie Merry, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
My small turboprop plane whirred low through thick clouds.
—WIRED, 15 July 2023
In its songs, Monét delves into the thoughts whirring through her mind about self-image and parenthood in the direct aftermath of giving birth.
—Danielle Kwateng, SELF, 13 Sep. 2023
Mostly to make people money: When someone opens up their phone’s browser and clicks on a link—to use the most basic example—a whole hidden economy whirs into gear.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2023
Stacey Colino, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023
The space is truly revolutionary thanks to its retractable walls that can transform it from an indoor to an outdoor venue with the whir of a few motors.
—Barbara Schuler, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2023
Pedestrian-warning noises are federally mandated, and most brands are implementing similar motor whirs.
—Benjamin Hunting, Car and Driver, 4 May 2023
The drone took off with a whir and flew to the far side of the basin.
—Anna Canny, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Aug. 2023
Prius accomplished this task with a faint whir of its front-wheel-drive electric motor and no regenerative breaking like most EVs.
—cleveland, 5 Aug. 2023
In the first couple of films (his five-film run suffered from wildly diminishing returns), there was a certain sensory satisfaction in all that was shiny and chrome, the clicks and whirs of metallic pieces sliding into place with an almost ASMR-like tingle.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023
There is Allison Kim, a senior operations manager, who gives a tour with the aid of a golden toy microphone that boosts her voice above the constant whir of machinery.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 26 June 2023
The blender whirs, the sour mix splooshes and Roberto’s your tío.
—M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023
See More
Verb
In response, her charges, all 100,000 of them, begin to whir and emit an excited hum.
—Stephanie Nolen and Eleanor Lutz. Photography and Video By Federico Rios Escobar For The New York Times. Eleanor Lutz, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2023
That one will probably develop and may whir disconcertingly close to the Lesser Antilles.
—Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 20 Sep. 2023
But the softly whirring rig wasn’t searching for fossil fuels.
—Brad Plumer, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2023
From the opening arresting trumpet solo by Christopher Smith to the happy buzz and whir from the brass and percussion sections in the finale, Payare and company took the audience on a thrilling ride that prompted wild applause when all was done.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2023
At first, Weiner would bike 20 miles or so, and that kind of distance would exhaust her enough to stop her brain from whirring, at least temporarily.
—Stephanie Merry, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2023
My small turboprop plane whirred low through thick clouds.
—WIRED, 15 July 2023
In its songs, Monét delves into the thoughts whirring through her mind about self-image and parenthood in the direct aftermath of giving birth.
—Danielle Kwateng, SELF, 13 Sep. 2023
Mostly to make people money: When someone opens up their phone’s browser and clicks on a link—to use the most basic example—a whole hidden economy whirs into gear.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2023
Noun
White noise Sounds like: The static of a TV or radio, or the whir of a fan.
—Stacey Colino, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2023
The space is truly revolutionary thanks to its retractable walls that can transform it from an indoor to an outdoor venue with the whir of a few motors.
—Barbara Schuler, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2023
Pedestrian-warning noises are federally mandated, and most brands are implementing similar motor whirs.
—Benjamin Hunting, Car and Driver, 4 May 2023
The drone took off with a whir and flew to the far side of the basin.
—Anna Canny, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Aug. 2023
Prius accomplished this task with a faint whir of its front-wheel-drive electric motor and no regenerative breaking like most EVs.
—cleveland, 5 Aug. 2023
In the first couple of films (his five-film run suffered from wildly diminishing returns), there was a certain sensory satisfaction in all that was shiny and chrome, the clicks and whirs of metallic pieces sliding into place with an almost ASMR-like tingle.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2023
There is Allison Kim, a senior operations manager, who gives a tour with the aid of a golden toy microphone that boosts her voice above the constant whir of machinery.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 26 June 2023
The blender whirs, the sour mix splooshes and Roberto’s your tío.
—M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whir.' 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
Verb
Middle English (Scots) quirren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish hvirre to whirl, whir
First Known Use
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Noun
1677, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of whir was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near whir
Cite this Entry
“Whir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whir. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
whir
1 of 2 verb
variants
also whirr
ˈhwər 
ˈwər
whirred; whirring
: to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a buzzing sound
ceiling fans whirred overhead
whir
2 of 2 noun
variants
also whirr
: a fluttering or vibrating sound made by something in rapid motion
the whir of machinery
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