as in humming
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
Relevance
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 whirring
For Catalans, the whirring activity at the Sagrada Família has become a symbol of their can-do culture.
—
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Every evening, Hofstadter would leave his calculator whirring.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
Lohmann was an integral cog in an ever-whirring German feat of engineering that saw Bayern stride into a record-breaking 44 matches unbeaten between December 2021 and October 2024.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
In Season 3, Sydney’s are more pronounced with whirring noises while Carmy’s are a bit more subdued.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
Every evening, Hofstadter would leave his calculator whirring.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 25 Aug. 2025
Lohmann was an integral cog in an ever-whirring German feat of engineering that saw Bayern stride into a record-breaking 44 matches unbeaten between December 2021 and October 2024.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
In Season 3, Sydney’s are more pronounced with whirring noises while Carmy’s are a bit more subdued.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirring
Verb
-
Keep those air conditioners humming, because this week is kicking off with some unusually hot weather.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Astros, Guardians Their injury list has a payroll greater than a bunch of frugal franchises, yet the Rangers keep humming along and applying pressure to their AL West counterparts.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Within minutes, the inbox starts buzzing, and they get pulled into a flood of urgent emails.—
Wilson Luna,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
His new social media activity has the wrestling world buzzing about a potential return to the company.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whirring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirring. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share