Synonyms of whirs

whirs 1 of 2

noun

variants also whirrs

plural of whir

as in hums

a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion

a whir coming from the refrigerator

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hums
• purrs
• buzzes
• whispers
• rustles
• thrums
• drones
• sighs
• zooms
• burrs
• moans
• whizzes
• murmurs
• gasps
• babbles
• gurgles
• chirrs
• churrs
• hisses
• zings
• coos
• zips
• suspirations
• susurrations
• susurruses
• whishes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• screams
• shrieks
• roars
• yells
• squeals
• screeches
• howls
• squalls
• yelps
• bawls

whirs

2 of 2

verb

variants also whirrs

present tense third-person singular of whir

as in buzzes

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

• hums
• buzzes
• zips
• whispers
• hisses
• whizzes
• sighs
• burrs
• zooms
• drones
• murmurs
• whistles
• bumbles
• thrums
• purrs
• fizzes
• wheezes
• whishes
• coos
• whooshes
• rustles
• swishes
• sizzles
• chirrs
• churrs
• currs

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of whirs

Noun

In a small room on the second floor of an Episcopal church in Queens, a large printer beeps and whirs, spitting out posters inked with bright yellow tennis balls. — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Woo walked slowly across the room, using a walker to stabilize his upper body, his steps a symphony of clunks and creaks and whirs. — IEEE Spectrum, 1 Apr. 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

As the documentary opens, insect whirs and faint helicopter chuf-chufs mix with a choral hymn. — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026

Her vocals drift on the fluttery synth that swells as the bass whirs. — Pitchfork, 10 Dec. 2025

A lot of this stuff follows the same thread, often steeped in vintage synth drones, whirrs, and buzzes that evoke the turn-of-the-Eighties sci-fi futurism the first TRON movie embodied back in 1982. — Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2025

It’s composed of plastic storage drawers embedded with speakers that emit jarring rumbles and whirs. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019

Verb

The machine whirs to life, the smell of hot plastic slowly seeping into the air. — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026

This vast bundle of life and existence whirrs continually, creating the comforting harmonic tone that defines this place. — Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026