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
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Recent Examples of whirring
The promotional photo shared on Instagram—showing Moroney wearing a gray and orange Vols shirt—set the country music conspiracy machine whirring.
—
Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
Across Milan and the Dolomites, two dozen drones are whirring slightly behind skiers, lugers and even speed skaters, bringing viewers across the world to the mountains and ice.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 11 Feb. 2026
The Olympics star-making machine has started whirring, and no sport is more ripe for some stars than curling.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The partnership has helped keep its sewing machines whirring.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s also the noise issue, and the somewhat awkward reality of spinning rotors whirring dangerously above people in public places.
—New Atlas, 31 Jan. 2026
That chunk of my brain has already been activated and is whirring away.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Instead of being filled with whirring and grinding, the air is quiet, as workers in dozens of open-air cubicles assemble tiny electronic parts under microscopes.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025
Many stood silently beneath the waning moon, police helicopters whirring overhead.
—Sara James, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 4 Mar. 2026
Across Milan and the Dolomites, two dozen drones are whirring slightly behind skiers, lugers and even speed skaters, bringing viewers across the world to the mountains and ice.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 11 Feb. 2026
The Olympics star-making machine has started whirring, and no sport is more ripe for some stars than curling.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The partnership has helped keep its sewing machines whirring.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2026
There’s also the noise issue, and the somewhat awkward reality of spinning rotors whirring dangerously above people in public places.
—New Atlas, 31 Jan. 2026
That chunk of my brain has already been activated and is whirring away.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Instead of being filled with whirring and grinding, the air is quiet, as workers in dozens of open-air cubicles assemble tiny electronic parts under microscopes.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025
Many stood silently beneath the waning moon, police helicopters whirring overhead.
—Sara James, NBC news, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirring
Verb
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Despite losing star senior Kantyn Pearson to a knee injury in the regular-season finale, the Rams kept on humming to advance to their second consecutive Final Four amid their 23rd straight win this season.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2026
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At the rate business was humming along, ValenSil was on track to bolt on a third shift, add about eight to 15 more workers, and even purchase land for further expansion.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Southern California club joins a buzzing market of MLS stake sales.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
5 Mar. 2026
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Iranian Americans in metro Atlanta said their phones were buzzing as events unfolded overseas, and now many are anxiously waiting for the next message from family back home.—
Daniel Wilkerson,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whirring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirring. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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