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

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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

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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 Somehow, beneath the surface of some cheerful Schubert song, anxiety and sadness seem to be churning. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 Hawaii has dealt with impacts from multiple hurricanes in recent weeks, while Southern California continues to see dangerous surf from a tropical system churning several hundred miles offshore, the second such event to affect the region this season. — Dan Peck, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, Hurricane Karina, which had been churning east of the Hawaiian Islands, weakened into a tropical storm on Saturday and did not generate any hazards that affected land. — Liz Kreutz, NBC news, 9 Sep. 2026 The rumor mill is churning with new reports around the Honda Civic Type R HRC, which was previously shown in concept form at Tokyo Auto Salon back in January. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 9 Sep. 2026 Trains rumble behind the main stadiums, Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong, while planes approaching and departing from La Guardia Airport bring their stomach-churning roars. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Now, as then, the world is churning over the identities of peoples and nations based on either ethnicity and religion or the values and rights inherent in all mankind. — Kurt Shillinger, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Sep. 2026 Even under a simple two-person dialogue, Johnnie Burn’s sound design and Daniel Pemberton’s score are jointly heavy on churning, faintly industrial noise, supplemented by suitably anachronistic rock soundtrack cuts. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026 According to The New York Times, the home belongs to the Pyakurel family, with viral videos of the disaster showing the family looking down from their third-floor balcony as churning floodwater slammed against the structure. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for churning

Verb

But what about the broad lines, supposedly caused by hydrogen swirling fast around a black hole?

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce After Kelce gushed about catching Swift’s Eras Tour and attempting to meet the singer backstage in July 2023, rumors began swirling about what might be going on between the superstar pair.

— Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 13 Sep. 2026

Definition of swirling

Verb

In a team meeting on the eve of their stirring 28-20 victory over the Cowboys, the Giants gave Jack Harbaugh their full attention and respect.

— Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink and zucchini is tender, 6–8 minutes.

— Caroline Chambers, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of stirring

Verb

Those materials were most likely prepared by boiling animal skin and connective tissue.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Waiting for Lefty The actor Steven Pasquale makes his directing debut with this revival of Clifford Odets’s 1935 play made famous by the Group Theatre, about the boiling tensions of a Depression-era New York cabdrivers’ strike.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of boiling

Verb

Karina, a former Category 4 hurricane spinning about 755 miles east-northeast of Hilo, Hawaii, and Tropical Storm Marie, churning about 705 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California.

— Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
An exhausting, head-spinning and often downright silly offseason is officially over after college football really kicked off on Thursday (after the always bizarre Week 0 last weekend).

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of spinning

Verb

The combat scenes, frequently pitting Latif’s sharpened steel against more popular American weaponry, are staged with whirling verve, wit and, best of all, balletic coherence.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
The room grows as silent as this whirling slot machine of a city can get.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of whirling

Verb

Villains dating hot blondes has the traditional golf journalists seething while SeanJo, myself and Nightcaps legend Zach Dean sit back and just smile.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Ser Criston Cole, more than perhaps any other character in this story, is seething with resentment.

— Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026