churn

[ churn ]

/ tʃɜrn /

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See synonyms for: churn / churning on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

churn rate (defs. 1, 2).

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

Verb Phrases

churn out, to produce mechanically, hurriedly, or routinely: He was hired to churn out verses for greeting cards.

OTHER WORDS FOR churn

8 whip, toss, convulse.

See synonyms for churn on Thesaurus.com

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM churn

churn·a·ble, adjectivechurn·a·bil·i·ty

[chur-nuh-bil-i-tee], /ˌtʃɜr nəˈbɪl ɪ ti/, nounchurn·er, nounun·churn, verb (used with object)

un·churned, adjectivewell-churned, adjective

Words nearby churn

churchyard beetle, churidars, churinga, churl, churlish, churn, churnalism, churn drill, churning, churn molding, churn out

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use churn in a sentence

This technology is also used to predict outcomes, such as churn rates and the potential revenue a business could earn from a particular segment of customers.
Meet Google Analytics 4: Google’s vision for the future of analytics|George Nguyen|October 14, 2020|Search Engine Land
Zuora, which makes a business out of selling subscription technology to different sectors, released its Subscription Economy Index across 1,000 clients last week and found that the pandemic has not increased churn rates for publishers.
‘A good job of retaining’: Publishers see subscription resilience as evidence of sticky coronavirus-cohorts grows|Lucinda Southern|September 30, 2020|Digiday
It has more than a million subscribers and an impressively low churn rate.
Peloton races to the future, but it’s still no tech company|Adam Lashinsky|September 11, 2020|Fortune
That constant churn can make it difficult to figure out when a new card is really a big jump over what came before it.
Nvidia’s monstrous new graphics cards crank up the power while dropping their prices|Stan Horaczek|September 9, 2020|Popular-Science

This way, you can improve anything from increasing viewership on your blog to reducing customer churn.
Guide: How to effectively incorporate customer journey mapping into your marketing strategy|Connie Benton|July 14, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Egg-laying hens are placed in cages to unnaturally churn out egg after egg.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Colleges churn out graduates and confer advanced degrees, but the scramble for jobs continues.
How Young People Are Destroying Liberty|James Poulos|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Entrepreneurial churn at a large newspaper keeps institutions fresher and individual talents nimbler.
Why the Washington Post Switched Bloggers|James Poulos|January 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In that industry, the financial churn that helps democracy thrive is alive and well among current—and former—stars.
The Music Industry Is Dying? Great|James Poulos|December 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Academics these days operate under enormous pressure to churn out high volumes of these publications.
How Social Scientists, and the Rest of Us, Got Seduced By a Good Story|Megan McArdle|April 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I don't forget how I used to have to churn in a dash-churn, till my arms ached fit to drop off.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Martha laughed, and rolling the big, barrel-churn upon its side was more than delighted to see it fall apart, useless.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Mother thinks a dash-churn, stand and flap the dasher straight up and down till your arms and legs give out, is the best kind.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
He strolled casually down to a rude stone wall and watched the tractor churn toward him.
Restricted Tool|Malcolm B. Morehart
This sour cream is put into the churn, and worked in the usual way until the butter separates.
Domestic Animals|Richard L. Allen

British Dictionary definitions for churn

churn

/ (tʃɜːn) /

noun

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

verb

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 agitationideas 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

Derived forms of churn

churner, noun

Word Origin for churn

Old English ciern; related to Old Norse kjarni, Middle Low German kerne churn, German dialect Kern cream

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

churn

OTHER WORDS FOR churn

Origin of churn

OTHER WORDS FROM churn

Words nearby churn

Words related to churn

How to use churn in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for churn

Derived forms of churn

Word Origin for churn