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 Like most neighborhood kids, Wang was obliged to help with household chores after class, especially churning soymilk by endlessly hauling his uncle’s giant stone mill around. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 18 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 This season’s combination of a sputtering offense and a shaky bullpen – exposed again Sunday as the Brewers padded their lead in the late innings – is already way too stomach-churning for Dodger fans. — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 17 Aug. 2026 Yet the high-speed ferry rides can be stomach-churning for some tourists, according to a number of social media posts. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026 But rather than embrace that way of thinking as her ethos going forward, Teng chooses to elide much (but not all) of the most stomach-churning footage at her disposal. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026 Your car is watching you, and that hard stop and brief glance to the side are data sent directly to your car insurer, churning into an algorithm that decides your future premiums. — Andréa Becker, STAT, 14 Aug. 2026 The reimagining of Borden’s story comes on the heels of the stomach-churning third installment, which starred Hunnam as infamous serial killer Ed Gein, famed for his gruesome home filled with human remains. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026 All of this good fortune heaped a mountain of pressure on Burke, who was then living in Virginia and working as an associate editor at Katie Couric Media, a fast-churning life-style site that traffics primarily in wellness and shopping content. — Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for churning

Verb

Without an arrest, swirling suspicions were having their own corrosive effects on Incline Village, resident Michelle Pettibone said.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
This is called a Balmer break, which generally indicates dense, photon-absorbing gas swirling in the atmospheres of ancient stars.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of swirling

Verb

The Virgo Moon moves through your 9th House of Travel, Learning, and Perspective, stirring curiosity and a desire to expand.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026
Nevertheless, everything just merges into one, even at times of high drama, such as Middlesbrough’s stirring run to the 2006 UEFA Cup final.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of stirring

Verb

Stir into the boiling milk and boil on low heat until thick, stirring all the time.

— David Morgan, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
The utter carnage that follows brings major developments for all the main characters still on the chessboard — and many gruesome deaths by dragon fire, boiling oil, spikes and even catapults.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of boiling

Verb

Hubble’s images reveal an intricate web of gas and dust spreading outward from the explosion’s center, where a rapidly spinning neutron star remains.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026
In his 12 seasons at Penn State, James Franklin went 4-21 against top-10 opponents and 1-18 against the best in the Big Ten, spinning the Lions and their fans through the same laundry cycle every year.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of spinning

Verb

The systems also can spin up whirling columns of flame — usually a fire whirl, which Giannaros describes as a dust devil made of fire and heat instead of dust.

— Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
The Argentina fans roused themselves, whirling their shirts above their heads.

— Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026