whir

or whirr

[ hwur, wur ]
See synonyms for: whirwhirredwhirringwhirs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),whirred, whir·ring.
  1. to go, fly, revolve, or otherwise move quickly with a humming or buzzing sound: An electric fan whirred softly in the corner.

verb (used with object),whirred, whir·ring.
  1. to move or transport (a thing, person, etc.) with a whirring sound: The plane whirred them away into the night.

noun
  1. an act or sound of whirring: the whir of wings.

Origin of whir

1
1350–1400; Middle English quirre (Scots ) <Scandinavian; compare Danish hvirre,Norwegian kvirra.See whirl

Words Nearby whir

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use whir in a sentence

  • For a few seconds the silence was unbroken save for a whir of a taxicab passing outside.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • Both had heard the well-remembered whir at the same moment, and bounded away several steps before pausing to look back.

    Two Boys in Wyoming | Edward S. Ellis
  • Suddenly some birds arose with a great whir of wings, and alighted in a tree.

    Left on the Labrador | Dillon Wallace
  • She heard the whir of a machine, fast and then slow again, near and then at a distance.

    The Secret Witness | George Gibbs
  • Then, from out of the darkness, came something that moved on a whir of caterpillar treads.

    Unwise Child | Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for whir

whir

whirr

/ (wɜː) /


noun
  1. a prolonged soft swish or buzz, as of a motor working or wings flapping

  2. a bustle or rush

verbwhirs, whirrs, whirring or whirred
  1. to make or cause to make a whir

Origin of whir

1
C14: probably from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian kvirra, Danish hvirre; see whirl

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