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Synonyms

birr

1 American  
[bur] / bɜr /

noun

  1. force; energy; vigor.

  2. emphasis in statement, speech, etc.

  3. a whirring sound.

verb (used without object)

  1. to move with or make a whirring sound.

birr 2 American  
[beer] / bɪər /

noun

plural

birr

  1. a paper money, silver coin, and monetary unit of Ethiopia, equal to 100 cents: replaced the Ethiopian dollar in 1976.

birr 1 British  
/ bɜː /

verb

  1. to make or cause to make a whirring sound

"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

noun

  1. a whirring sound

  2. force, as of wind

  3. vigour; energy

"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
birr 2 British  
/ bɜː /

noun

  1. the standard monetary unit of Ethiopia, divided into 100 cents

"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

Etymology

Origin of birr

1275–1325; Middle English bire, bur, Old English byre strong wind; cognate with Icelandic byrr favorable wind; akin to bear 1

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.

But as the telecoms sector has opened up, the country is embracing mobile phone digital payments in birr, the local currency.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

His bail was set at 60,000 Ethiopian birr, about $1,170, according to his lawyer.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2022

She said she was not told why she was detained, paid 3,000 birr to a policeman and was released five days later.

From Reuters • Jul. 15, 2021

He added that citizens who receive remittances are “expected to convert their foreign currency into birr right away.”

From Slate • Dec. 23, 2019

There is the dismal, never-ending grind, grind of the screw, sometimes, when the ship rolls, and the screw is out of the water, going round with a horrible birr.

From A Boy's Voyage Round the World by Smiles, Samuel

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.