churning

present participle of churn
1
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

2
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 In the churning, deep waters of the Bay of All Saints, conventional construction equipment doesn’t stand a chance. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 Molten metal constantly churning in Earth’s outer core generates electrical currents that sustain the magnetic field, in a process called the dynamo effect. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 Two hurricanes churning in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico are sending high surf toward Southern California that will overlap with unusually high tides, bringing hazards for beachgoers and possible coastal flooding. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026 Two other powerful storms were churning in the Atlantic Ocean but were not near land. — Eugene Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 Farther out in the Pacific, Tropical Storm Nolo was churning about 305 miles south of South Point, Hawaii. — Megan Janetsky, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026 The driver wrenched the Jeep to the left, arm over arm churning at the wheel. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 The sins of the father are ultimately presented in a literal, stomach-churning slideshow that haphazardly alternates benign family snaps with gleeful photographic evidence of Johan’s war crimes. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 Monster stars Charlie Hunnam, Rebecca Hall, and Ella Beatty, along with Max Winkler, the series’ director and executive producer who oversaw the second episode, break down the stomach-churning scene for Entertainment Weekly. — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churning
Verb
  • Of the five moves, the one that immediately addresses the injury concerns swirling around the Panthers’ program is the addition of Simpkins.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026
  • There’s a lot of commotion swirling around you, and much of the drama may not even involve you directly.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But Ayer has crafted a movie that’s stirring in its primality.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Stewart smiled while on her way to the bench as the ESPN broadcast highlighted Jonquel Jones stirring an imaginary pot on the sidelines.
    — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 27 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Both are distillates, produced by boiling crude oil and then cooling it back into liquid form.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
  • These salts can withstand very high temperatures before boiling.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • According to the suit, the video depicts the staff member grabbing a Black student from behind, spinning him around, grabbing him by the shirt and shoving him repeatedly into the metal roll-down door of a concession stand.
    — Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • How a flywheel energy storage system works Qnetic’s alternative to the lithium-ion battery consists of a flywheel, or a heavy rotor, capable of spinning at supersonic speed in a frictionless vacuum chamber.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Churning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churning. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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