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
• unchurn
  verb (used with object)
• 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
• am churning
  progressive
• are 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

See Examples For:

churn churns churned churning

The churn has frustrated the nonprofit academy, which wanted a consistent partner to help bolster its relationships with advertisers, talent and viewers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Without them, dealers are left pushing aging designs while automakers race to churn out new models—meanwhile using retro throwbacks, special editions and six-figure status symbols to keep buyers coming.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

This week: The bond market continues to churn with yields spiking globally.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2026

Nike has tried to churn out new sneakers and other gear more quickly to re-engage consumers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

It’s grainy, and details are almost impossible to make out, but something triggers an old memory that makes my stomach churn.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Ford Motor’s assembly plant in Hermosillo, Mexico churns out over 300,000 pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles a year, employing 4,300 workers and a security guard known as “El Charro,” the WSJ’s Ryan Felton reports.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

"The galaxy churns out new stars and planets continuously, so there are many in every stage of evolution," Cieza said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

The Holston Army Ammunition Plant churns out explosives used in Patriot missiles, warheads and other heavy weaponry in the midst of the country's costly and prolonged war with Iran.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

In October 2019, he and Moolenaar co-chaired the NSLF, the Fellowship student program that churns up potential congressional interns and Fellowship stars.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

The red sun blinds me, churns up my belly to nausea, and the heat thrown out of the bone-fire burns my skin.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Until this summer, the JV churned out local versions of the Evoque at a factory in Changshu, near Shanghai.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The impact likely churned up older material and mixed the fossils into the rocks while still preserving them.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026

Polo raked across the peninsula and hopped the Gulf of California, then weakened to a tropical storm as it churned northeast into the Mexican mainland.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Aside from being showered with gravel churned up by the "gobby" miscreants, no one came to harm that day, but others have not been so lucky.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The sea overflowed with water from the Starry River of the Sky and churned with monstrous beasts.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

Two hurricanes churning in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico are sending high surf toward Southern California that will overlap with unusually high tides, bringing hazards for beachgoers and possible coastal flooding.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

A rare trio of hurricanes were churning through the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, which scientists attributed to waters warmed by a historically strong El Nino phenomenon.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Viktoria Haidai surveys the mangled remains of the printing press, which should have been busy churning out textbooks ready for the new school year.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

Luckily, with a bit of strategic churning — that is, adding and dropping services month to month — you can still catch the best shows while keeping your monthly streaming budget around $50.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

My already sloshy stomach turns into a churning whirlpool.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• boil
• bubble
• simmer
• swirl