CHURNING Synonyms: 20 Similar and Opposite Words

churning

verb

present participle of churn

as in swirling

to be in a state of violent rolling motion a churning sea made getting to the island a risky undertaking

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stirring

to cause (as a liquid) to move about in a circle especially repeatedly churn the cream until it turns into butter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of churning More than 130 flights have been canceled out of Chicago Midway and O'Hare because of dangerous weather churning its way across the Midwest, leaving more than 35,000 Illinois residents without power. —

John Tufts, IndyStar, 18 June 2026 Everyone was in the water, churning over every mound of debris. —

Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 Just in time for the semiquincentennial, the churning waves of social media discontent have parted and given us a glimpse of how these United States look (and taste) to wide-eyed World Cup attendees. —

Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026 Roasting peaches intensifies their flavor, and in this old-school recipe, they're mashed and mixed into a rich custard before churning into a creamy, fruit-forward ice cream. —

Patricia S York, Southern Living, 12 June 2026 Any justice in the community would praise this murderer’s row of craftspeople working on the production design for the period town setting; makeup, especially Pennywise’s horrible face; sound design, for helping to keep the audio terrors churning along; and the costume work. —

William Earl, Variety, 11 June 2026 The two-minute trailer includes a recreation of the famous sailor-kissing-a-nurse photo from V-J Day, a woman insulting David’s butter churning, some trench warfare repartee about the looks of a soldier’s love back at home, the Boston Tea Party, and jokes about child labor. —

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2026 That churning mix of confidence and doubt gives Sir Render a full-bodied dynamism that Navy Blue albums can sometimes lack, moving between moods instead of circling around a single frame of mind. —

Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026 With more shaking or churning, these grains grow and separate from the watery, naturally low-fat buttermilk. —

Rosemary Trout, The Conversation, 10 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for churning

Verb

Rumors then began swirling that Wilde and Pugh clashed on set over creative differences.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 June 2026
Some other great ways to use it include thinning it with lemon juice and water for a salad dressing, drizzling it over roasted cauliflower or sweet potato, swirling it into a savory oatmeal, or using it as the base for noodle sauces.

— Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 15 June 2026