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

“But the underlying churn — with stocks down and the S&P 500 not very much off its high — that’s very much a good thing,” Wren said in an interview.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Lately, AI is putting the quest on steroids, with people pumping chatbots for moneymaking hacks and using content generators to rapidly churn out videos, books and other media they hope to monetize online.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

If Starmer does leave office this year, Britain will get its seventh prime minister in a decade -- an unprecedented rate of churn in its modern history.

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026

"The immediate concern is the plastics becoming microplastics. The mowers churn up plastic leaves and petals and it gets embedded over the years," she said.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

The image of the little boy in the market in Pakistan comes to mind, and guilt over all of the extra food in my stomach makes it churn.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Ineratec's plant churns out some 2,500 tonnes of fuel a year, enough to power only about 50 transatlantic flights.

From Barron's ● May 31, 2026

Kinshasa, an overcrowded city of more than 17 million people, churns out at least 10 tonnes of plastic waste every day, according to environmental experts.

From Barron's ● May 20, 2026

Here’s a look at who the Chargers have selected so far as the draft churns through rounds 4-7 in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

Netflix churns out an array of contests pitting dish against dish, including “Next Gen Chef” — an entirely separate show from the Ramsay co-hosted “Next Level Chef,” which premiered a new season this week.

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2026

My mind churns as I go through the line in the cookhouse.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Whatever the cause, the turf war churned up inside information about Pulte and his grandson.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

Despite having churned through eight presidents in the last 10 years, Peru's economy has remained relatively stable.

From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2026

Horse-obsessed Gurbanguly has churned out numerous books about Akhal-Tekes and even penned a rap song in honour of one of his foals.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

“It’s unfortunately hard for consumers to know if they’re getting churned or if the newer product really is that much better for them, even after factoring in any relevant surrender charges.”

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

The garden churned through the seasons, teaching us all sorts of things.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

So 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 under $50.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

The Russian army is grinding forward slowly, churning up everything in its path.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

But overall, the staff has been churning out great stories and great ratings.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

I don’t get mistaken for an actual person, but I do love the moment where you pass them on the sidewalk or on the subway and you see the wheels churning in their mind.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

“Link and Jordie have the best crew! They’re churning out chain twice as fast as anybody else!”

From "Linked" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

• boil
• bubble
• simmer
• swirl