variants
or less commonly whirr
whirred; whirring
: to fly, revolve, or move rapidly with a whir
hummingbirds whirring past
: to move or carry rapidly with a whir
variants
or less commonly whirr
: a continuous fluttering or vibratory sound made by something in rapid motion
the whir of machinery
Synonyms
Examples of whir in a Sentence
Verb
the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower
our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough road
Noun
the whir of a fan
a whir coming from the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashley Milne-Tyte, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2024
Artifacts that would end up trimmed from a more traditional recording—blasts of static, spectral overtones, whirring feedback—form the weathered architecture at the center of Low’s compositions.
—Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
There was not a soul in sight—just sun-dappled forest, the whir of insects, and me alone with my footsteps and my thoughts.
—Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whir 
Verb
In the table tennis room, fans whir while pairs of players in their 70s and 80s dart at the ball, exclaiming in Cantonese while working up a sweat.
—Ashley Milne-Tyte, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2024
Artifacts that would end up trimmed from a more traditional recording—blasts of static, spectral overtones, whirring feedback—form the weathered architecture at the center of Low’s compositions.
—Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
Noun
In 2020 and 2021, millions around the world sought freedom and security from the constant whir of the central bank printing press by unbanking themselves.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2024
There was not a soul in sight—just sun-dappled forest, the whir of insects, and me alone with my footsteps and my thoughts.
—Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for whir
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near whir
Cite this Entry
“Whir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whir. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
whir
1 of 2 verb
variants
also whirr
ˈhwər 
ˈwər
whirred; whirring
: to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a buzzing sound
ceiling fans whirred overhead
whir
2 of 2 noun
variants
also whirr
: a fluttering or vibrating sound made by something in rapid motion
the whir of machinery
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