whir
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
-
a prolonged soft swish or buzz, as of a motor working or wings flapping
-
a bustle or rush
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
whirsimple
-
whirssimple
-
have whirredperfect
-
has whirredperfect
-
am whirringprogressive
-
are whirringprogressive
-
is whirringprogressive
-
have been whirringperfect progressive
-
has been whirringperfect progressive
Past
-
whirredsimple
-
had whirredperfect
-
was whirringprogressive
-
were whirringprogressive
-
had been whirringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of whir
1350–1400; Middle English quirre ( Scots ) < Scandinavian; compare Danish hvirre, Norwegian kvirra. See whirl
Explanation
The softly vibrating sound of something moving fast is a whir. The whir of a hummingbird's wings up close sounds a lot like a buzzing insect. Whir is one of those words like buzz, clink, and oink that sound exactly like what they mean; this effect is called onomatopoeia. You can use this one as a noun or a verb, so while your ceiling fan whirs overhead on a hot day, the whir of insects reminds you to close the window screen.
Vocabulary lists containing whir
Lawn Boy
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Shut Up, This Is Serious
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
When the World Turned Upside Down
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Over the whine of buzzsaws and the steady whir of sanders, hundreds of Vietnamese workers in a factory outside Ho Chi Minh City hustle to fill orders for high-end furniture.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
A symphonic mix of an espresso machine’s hiss, a ravenous juicer’s whir and ebullient Spanish welcomed me at my new favorite, Las Olas Cafe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
“It’s dramatically different,” Ortíz said, the desert silent except for the crunch of his footsteps in the sand and the whir of a Border Patrol helicopter overhead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2025
A whir of arms, a flick of his wrist, and the ball has hit you before you know it.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2025
The whir climbs slowly like it’s working its way up a hill.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Machinery whirs loudly as a rare-earth mixture is bathed in hydrochloric acid and gradually separated into pure oxides that can be shipped to customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
Medical equipment whirs and beeps in the background.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
The plane’s propeller whirs, and Snoopy’s head swings around, up and down, scanning for any sign of his German foe.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2023
A few miles away, in a building at Stockley Park west of London, the Premier League’s Video Assistant Referee studio whirs into action.
From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
He gestures dramatically with his scrawny squirrel arm up to the hayloft, where a scary-looking ray-blasting cannon whirs to life.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
There was no window or outlet for the heat to escape, a small ceiling fan whirred overhead recycling hot air.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
The robotic hip motors whirred and a mechanical force tugged at my quads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
Pasta sauces found richness from cannellini beans or chickpeas, whirred until smooth.
From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026
As a helicopter whirred overhead and masked men yelling pro-Israel slogans circled the camp’s plywood barricades, the officers drove away.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2024
I turned the lathe on and it whirred up to speed.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Rising equity prices have also kept the spending machine whirring when it comes to artificial-intelligence hyperscalers’ capital investments.
From MarketWatch ● May 21, 2026
We watched him operate a vintage letterpress, the mechanisms whirring and clanking like a steam engine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Keeping the systems whirring is a constant operation, with technicians on site even during religious holidays.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
It might not sound like much time, but when a warehouse full of computers is whirring away these microscopic delays pile up and dilute the performance needed for AI.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
She made a strange whirring sound and watched wide-eyed as her arm shot out, machinelike, toward Jennifer’s.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
