variants
also whirr
as in hum
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion
a whir coming from the refrigerator
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
variants
also whirr
as in to hum
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough road
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whir
Robert Draper Diego Ibarra Sanchez Andrew Higgins Lydia Polgreen, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Vonn posted a video on Friday night, in a hospital gown with monitors on her chest and the beeps and whirs from her room serving as a sort of mundane soundtrack.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Traffic hummed along the avenue, and machinery whirred at the tire shop.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whir
Noun
February 13, 2026By Robert Draper More than a year into a cease-fire, the mechanical whir of Israeli drones above the Lebanese capital is a reminder that, in many ways, the war never really ended.
—Robert Draper Diego Ibarra Sanchez Andrew Higgins Lydia Polgreen, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2026
Vonn posted a video on Friday night, in a hospital gown with monitors on her chest and the beeps and whirs from her room serving as a sort of mundane soundtrack.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
Luis was dressed in his hospital pyjamas; his pained breathing fogged his mask while the oxygen canister gurgled and whirred.
—Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Traffic hummed along the avenue, and machinery whirred at the tire shop.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whir
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whir
Noun
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Hostert, of the University of Iowa, likens it to picking out the faint hum of an air conditioner over the din of Manhattan traffic.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
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Amid enthusiasm there is also concern At the river separating Oiapoque from French Guiana, a small port hums with boats linking Brazil, its neighbor and nearby communities.—
Gabriela Sá Pessoa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The crypto world has been buzzing in recent months about the potential for applying blockchain technology to agentic commerce, a term that describes AI agents undertaking purchases or other economic activity on a user’s behalf.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
An alarm that chimes instead of buzzes.—
Stephen Watson,
Robb Report,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The production wears its metaphors lightly with a wink and a purr.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
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On most days, the surf is loud enough to mask the steady purr of cars.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whir.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whir. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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