churn

American  

[churn] / tʃɜrn /

noun

churns plural

1. a container or machine in which cream or milk is agitated to make butter.

2. any of various containers or machines similar in shape or action to a butter churn, as a device for mixing beverages.

3. British. a large milk can.

4. an act of churning stocks by a stockbroker.

5. churn rate.

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verb (used with object)

churns, present (3rd person singular) churned, past participle, past churning present participle

1. to agitate in order to make into butter.

   to churn cream.

2. to make (butter) by the agitation of cream.

3. to shake or agitate with violence or continued motion.

   The storm churned the sea.

   Synonyms:

   convulse, toss, whip

4. to turn over and over in the mind.

   His brain slowly churned all the choices and possibilities.

5. (of a stockbroker) to trade (a customer's securities) excessively in order to earn more in commissions.

verb (used without object)

churns, present (3rd person singular) churned, past participle, past churning present participle

1. to operate a churn.

2. to move or shake in agitation, as a liquid or any loose matter.

   The leaves churned along the ground.

3. to be changing rapidly or be in a confused state.

   Her emotions churned as she viewed the horrific photos.

4. to have a queasy feeling, as from anxiety or disgust.

   My insides were churning at the thought of being on stage.

5. (of a stockbroker) to engage in the practice of churning.

verb phrase

1. churn out to produce mechanically, hurriedly, or routinely.

   He was hired to churn out verses for greeting cards.

churn British  

/ tʃɜːn /

noun

1. a large container for milk

2. a vessel or machine in which cream or whole milk is vigorously agitated to produce butter

3. any similar device

4. the number of customers who switch from one supplier to another

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verb

1. 1. to stir or agitate (milk or cream) in order to make butter

   2. to make (butter) by this process

2. (sometimes foll by up) to move or cause to move with agitation

   ideas churned in his head

3. (of a bank, broker, etc) to encourage an investor or policyholder to change investments, endowment policies, etc, to increase commissions at the client's expense

4. (of a government) to pay benefits to a wide category of people and claw it back by taxation from the well off

5. to promote the turnover of existing subscribers leasing, and new subscribers joining, a cable television system or mobile phone company

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• churnability
  noun
• churner
  noun
• churnable
  adjective
• unchurned
  adjective
• well-churned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• churns
  plural

Participles

• churning
  present
• churned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• churn
  simple
• churns
  simple
• have churned
  perfect
• has churned
  perfect
• are churning
  progressive
• am churning
  progressive
• is churning
  progressive
• have been churning
  perfect progressive
• has been churning
  perfect progressive

Past

• churned
  simple
• had churned
  perfect
• was churning
  progressive
• were churning
  progressive
• had been churning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will churn
  simple
• will have churned
  perfect
• will be churning
  progressive
• will have been churning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of churn

First recorded before 1000; Middle English noun chirne, cherne, Old English cyrne cyr(i)n; cognate with Middle Low German kerne, Old Norse kjarni, kirna

Explanation

A churn is a container that you fill with cream and then agitate until the cream becomes butter. You may have only bought butter at the store, but your ancestors probably used a traditional plunger-type churn to make their own. The verb churn means to mix cream until it turns into butter, separating out the buttermilk. You can make your own butter by churning it in a jar if you don't have a churn, shaking heavy cream until it becomes solid. To churn can also simply mean to agitate, like a boat might churn in a turbulent ocean, or your stomach might churn with anxiety about your big test the next day.

Example Sentences

The idea is to crush and churn the regolith, releasing helium-3 contained within it.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

Powerful currents twist and churn, creating swirling eddies that split into smaller and smaller vortices until their energy eventually fades away.

From Science Daily • Jun. 3, 2026

Vulcan, which at the time had fewer than 50 employees, said it would use the windfall to build a large new facility that would churn out thousands of tons of magnets a year.

From Salon • May 31, 2026

That has led to a rise across the industry in churn, or the percentage of customers who drop a service in a given month.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

Her eyes were dry as she watched the fog churn over the gray waters.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• boil
• bubble
• simmer
• swirl