whir

1 of 2

verb

ˈ(h)wər 

variants or less commonly whirr

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

whir

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly whirr

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

the whir of machinery

Synonyms

Verb

• hum

Noun

• hum
• purr
• whisper
• buzz

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

Verb

Every evening, Hofstadter would leave his calculator whirring. —Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025

Lohmann was an integral cog in an ever-whirring German feat of engineering that saw Bayern stride into a record-breaking 44 matches unbeaten between December 2021 and October 2024. —Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025

Noun

The valley floor hums with cowbells and the distant whir of paragliders circling above alpine meadows—as Trümmelbach’s glacial torrents roar through limestone caverns. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Three descendants of one of those original colonies were startled by the whir of Captain Brett’s fan motor and, with Busby Berkeley synchronicity, dived from the bank into the muddy water. —Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

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

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