churn
a container or machine in which cream or milk is agitated to make butter.
any of various containers or machines similar in shape or action to a butter churn, as a device for mixing beverages.
British. a large milk can.
an act of churning stocks by a stockbroker.
to agitate in order to make into butter: to churn cream.
to make (butter) by the agitation of cream.
to shake or agitate with violence or continued motion: The storm churned the sea.
to turn over and over in the mind: His brain slowly churned all the choices and possibilities.
(of a stockbroker) to trade (a customer's securities) excessively in order to earn more in commissions.
to operate a churn.
to move or shake in agitation, as a liquid or any loose matter: The leaves churned along the ground.
to be changing rapidly or be in a confused state:Her emotions churned as she viewed the horrific photos.
to have a queasy feeling, as from anxiety or disgust: My insides were churning at the thought of being on stage.
(of a stockbroker) to engage in the practice of churning.
churn out, to produce mechanically, hurriedly, or routinely: He was hired to churn out verses for greeting cards.
Origin of churn
1Other words for churn
Other words from churn
- churn·a·ble, adjective
- churn·a·bil·i·ty [chur-nuh-bil-i-tee], /ˌtʃɜr nəˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
- churn·er, noun
- un·churn, verb (used with object)
- un·churned, adjective
- well-churned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use churn in a sentence
The board is powerless by design to step in and address the constant churn of disinformation, hate speech or questionable content that’s live on the site.
Facebook's "Oversight Board" Is a Sham. The Answer to the Capitol Riot Is Regulating Social Media | Maria Ressa | January 28, 2021 | TimeInvariably, it happens late on a Friday afternoon, maximizing the chances that the news gets lost in the churn and forgotten by Monday.
Vehicle recalls cluster because OEMs wait for rivals to move first | Jonathan M. Gitlin | January 27, 2021 | Ars TechnicaThe churn was pretty high at the conclusion of those 12 weeks, in part because there was a fairly steep increase in price because we are not the cheapest product out there, given the quality of our journalism.
‘Retention has been one of our best stories of the year’: Bob Cohn on steering The Economist through crisis | Lara O'Reilly | October 20, 2020 | DigidayCompanies are increasingly realizing they need to keep engaging staff who are working remote — without overburdening them — otherwise it leads to a lack of motivation and staff churn.
‘Most administrative HR roles will be automated in the next few years’: As workplace tech evolves, HR and tech officer roles merge | Lucinda Southern | October 19, 2020 | DigidayThe four or five thrillers a year that de Villiers churned out from 1966 until his death in 2013 were amazingly trashy.
This Sexy Thriller Is Just the Document the Benghazi Commission Needs | Christopher Dickey | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even as he churned out works decrying the evils of capital, he was extremely entrepreneurial and owned a fair amount of property.
Barthas would look out on scenes of churned up earth filled with human remains and the debris of thousands of pulverized lives.
Blood and Mud: A French Soldier’s WWI Memoir Vividly Describes Trench Warfare | Marc Wortman | May 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt should be no surprise that SNL churned out a solid episode with Dunham as a host.
Lena Dunham on 'SNL' Review: Very Funny, Very Dunham-y | Kevin Fallon | March 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMy stomach churned as I called him to share the devastating news that our card had been compromised.
Woman Finds Mysterious Charges on Her iTunes Bill: A Modern Whodunit! | Nancy Neufeld Callaway | January 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn summer the cream should be churned on the following day; in winter it may stand over two days.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. AllenThe more quickly milk or cream is churned, the paler, the softer, and the less rich the butter.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. AllenCream, according to Mr. Aiton, may be safely churned in an hour and a half, while milk ought to obtain from two to three hours.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. AllenThe hoops to have holes in the bottom; the crushings are saved, and set, and churned, to grease the cheese.
Domestic Animals | Richard L. AllenBut they only churned uselessly in the drift; their hoofs could find no footing, save the yielding masses of snow.
The White Desert | Courtney Ryley Cooper
British Dictionary definitions for churn
/ (tʃɜːn) /
British a large container for milk
a vessel or machine in which cream or whole milk is vigorously agitated to produce butter
any similar device
the number of customers who switch from one supplier to another
to stir or agitate (milk or cream) in order to make butter
to make (butter) by this process
(sometimes foll by up) to move or cause to move with agitation: ideas churned in his head
(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
(of a government) to pay benefits to a wide category of people and claw it back by taxation from the well off
to promote the turnover of existing subscribers leasing, and new subscribers joining, a cable television system or mobile phone company
Origin of churn
1Derived forms of churn
- churner, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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