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

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 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 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 Meanwhile, a burst of tropical weather continued in the Pacific Ocean, where two hurricanes and a tropical storm that was likely to develop into one were churning in open waters Wednesday. — ABC News, 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 Cramer also pushed back on the notion that Cook was merely a skilled operator who kept Apple's machine churning. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 An estimated 1,000 volunteers hauled sandbags to Rocky Ripple's levee, hoping to raise the barrier high enough to fend off the churning water, which managed to seep through in some places. — Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for churning

Verb

Now, a new enigmatic 10-sided feature known as the decagon has been spotted swirling on the complete opposite side of the ringed planet.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Early Tuesday morning, Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken started getting a slew of calls and texts — rumors were swirling about a potential landmark day in her hometown.

— Sam Blum, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of swirling

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

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