birr
1 Americannoun
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force; energy; vigor.
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emphasis in statement, speech, etc.
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a whirring sound.
verb (used without object)
noun
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birr
plural
verb
noun
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a whirring sound
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force, as of wind
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vigour; energy
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of birr
1275–1325; Middle English bire, bur, Old English byre strong wind; cognate with Icelandic byrr favorable wind; akin to bear 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But as the telecoms sector has opened up, the country is embracing mobile phone digital payments in birr, the local currency.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
His bail was set at 60,000 Ethiopian birr, about $1,170, according to his lawyer.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
She said she was not told why she was detained, paid 3,000 birr to a policeman and was released five days later.
From Reuters ● Jul. 15, 2021
He added that citizens who receive remittances are “expected to convert their foreign currency into birr right away.”
From Slate ● Dec. 23, 2019
In these days, spinning-jennies were not; and many a fireside was enlivened by the whirr of the "big" or the birr of the "wee" wheel.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 16 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
