whir
or whirr
to go, fly, revolve, or otherwise move quickly with a humming or buzzing sound: An electric fan whirred softly in the corner.
to move or transport (a thing, person, etc.) with a whirring sound: The plane whirred them away into the night.
an act or sound of whirring: the whir of wings.
Origin of whir
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use whir in a sentence
That distant whirring sound you hear is a long-dead Greek physician spinning in his grave.
So if this weekend sees you outside whirring with your state-of-the-art metal detector, happy hunting.
Whenever the motors kick in, a high-pitched whirring sound emanates from the controller, which is a major distraction.
Xbox One Review: Big Brother Is Watching You | Alec Kubas-Meyer | November 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut my mind was constantly whirring and I could hear Andoni and Témoris turning restlessly too.
Then out of the mist, a whirring of helicopter blades, and, deus ex machina, a man descends fromt he chopper to winch you aboard.
When he travelled on his line he came in contact with bucolic interests instead of the whirring wheels of trade.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph TatlowNo one knew when he slept, while curious whirring noises were heard over the transom after the fall of night.
The Woman Gives | Owen JohnsonThe dancers caught up torches, and made the ground spring with whirring light.
God Wills It! | William Stearns DavisYou have 241 heard grasshoppers whirring in the grass in the summer-time?
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 10 (of 25) | Robert Louis StevensonCharming and candid habits of these winged topazes whirring among the flowers!
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de Gourmont
British Dictionary definitions for whir
whirr
/ (wɜː) /
a prolonged soft swish or buzz, as of a motor working or wings flapping
a bustle or rush
to make or cause to make a whir
Origin of whir
1Collins 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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