churning
Americannoun
-
the quantity of butter churned at any one time
-
the act, process, or effect of someone or something that churns
Etymology
Origin of churning
First recorded in 1400–50, churning is from the late Middle English word chyrnynge. See churn, -ing 1
Explanation
Use the adjective churning to describe a liquid that's being powerfully moved around. A boat on a churning lake will be tossed around on its surface. A churning sea is the result of a violent storm that blows against the water and produces large waves. You could even describe your churning stomach when you're incredibly nervous about giving a speech or making a presentation. In either case, there's an intense kind of agitation going on. The root of churning is the Old English cyrin, related to cyrnel, or "kernel," which describes the way churned cream looks grainy or gritty.
Vocabulary lists containing churning
Number the Stars
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Boy: Tales of Childhood
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"The Witches" by Roald Dahl, Chapters 1–5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The country is now churning out high-quality snooker competitors.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Universities have also tied prestige and funding to publishing metrics: grant dollars, rankings, and internal performance systems for researchers all depend on churning out work.
From Slate • May 3, 2026
Machines began doing the work of human hands, and factories began churning out goods—textiles, shoes, clocks, farm equipment—that once were made in homes and small shops.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
It also mattered little that advanced AI visual generators -- now capable of churning out uncannily real-looking deepfakes within seconds -- have largely erased the once-telltale glitch of extra fingers.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
Around and around they went, faster and faster, churning up a tremendous ring of rough water in their wake.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
