whir

or whirr

[ hwur, wur ]

/ ʰwɜr, wɜr /

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See synonyms for: whir / whirred / whirring / whirs on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), whirred, whir·ring.

to go, fly, revolve, or otherwise move quickly with a humming or buzzing sound: An electric fan whirred softly in the corner.

verb (used with object), whirred, whir·ring.

to move or transport (a thing, person, etc.) with a whirring sound: The plane whirred them away into the night.

noun

an act or sound of whirring: the whir of wings.

QUIZ

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If autumn is your ideal season, spice up your repertoire of "fall" vocabulary with this quiz on some warm and vivid descriptive words for the season.

Question 1 of 10

Which of the following words means “to make a crackling sound; crackle”?

crisp

crepitate

fuscous

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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Origin of whir

1350–1400; Middle English quirre (Scots ) <Scandinavian; compare Danish hvirre,Norwegian kvirra.See whirl

Words nearby whir

whip-tailed, whip-tailed ray, whiptail wallaby, whip up, whipworm, whir, whirl, whirlabout, whirligig, whirligig beetle, whirling dervish

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use whir in a sentence

He remembers how his young eyes fixated on the flashing lights of police cars that seemed ever-present, his ears drawn to the whir of police helicopters and sirens.
Thousands of bullets have been fired in this D.C. neighborhood. Fear is part of everyday life.|Peter Hermann, John D. Harden|July 23, 2021|Washington Post
The whir of the circling NYPD helicopter muffled their chants calling for unity and calling out police brutality.
Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC|M.L. Nestel|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As we approach the rumble of guns grows louder and alternates with the whir of cannonballs, which begin to attract his attention.
How Clausewitz Invented Modern War|James A. Warren|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You can almost hear the gears whir: Kagan offers the most liberalism for the longest time at the lowest political cost.
The Problem With Elena Kagan|Peter Beinart|May 10, 2010|DAILY BEAST

For a few seconds the silence was unbroken save for a whir of a taxicab passing outside.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux
Both had heard the well-remembered whir at the same moment, and bounded away several steps before pausing to look back.
Two Boys in Wyoming|Edward S. Ellis
Suddenly some birds arose with a great whir of wings, and alighted in a tree.
Left on the Labrador|Dillon Wallace
She heard the whir of a machine, fast and then slow again, near and then at a distance.
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs
Then, from out of the darkness, came something that moved on a whir of caterpillar treads.
Unwise Child|Gordon Randall Garrett

British Dictionary definitions for whir

whir

whirr

/ (wɜː) /

noun

a prolonged soft swish or buzz, as of a motor working or wings flapping

a bustle or rush

verb whirs, whirrs, whirring or whirred

to make or cause to make a whir

Word Origin for whir

C14: probably from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian kvirra, Danish hvirre; see whirl

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

whir

or whirr

Origin of whir

Words nearby whir

Words related to whir

How to use whir in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for whir

whirr

Word Origin for whir