variants
also whirrs
as in hums
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 whirrs
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Noun
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirs
Noun
-
Mechanical hums rattle the skyway’s roughly mile-long interstitial space, married with a cacophony of tires thumping over the hundreds of omni-directional, accordion-style joints that are designed to absorb any displacement, rotation or seismic movement.—
Katie Lauer,
Mercury News,
22 Dec. 2025
-
The mountain hums with energy, but never chaos.—
Denny Lee,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The 23-year-old buzzes around and through larger opponents.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Lean too hard, exceed a set speed threshold, or approach a hazard, and the seat buzzes to alert you.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Take their purrs, for example, which are known to vibrate at frequencies that can reduce stress and soothe anxiety.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Nov. 2025
-
Murillo’s diagonal ball elicits audible purrs from the Peter Taylor Stand.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Whirs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirs. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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