whir

American  

[hwur, wur] / ʰwɜr, wɜr /

Or whirr

verb (used without object)

whirred, whirring

1. to go, fly, revolve, or otherwise move quickly with a humming or buzzing sound.

   An electric fan whirred softly in the corner.

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verb (used with object)

whirred, whirring

1. to move or transport (a thing, person, etc.) with a whirring sound.

   The plane whirred them away into the night.

noun

1. an act or sound of whirring.

   the whir of wings.

whir British  

/ wɜː /

noun

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

2. a bustle or rush

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verb

1. to make or cause to make a whir

Etymology

Origin of whir

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

Example Sentences

When we stepped onto the back porch, the whir of the cicadas made us both jump.

From Literature

Golf cart-like vehicles guide tourists through a whir of mechanical arms and machines die casting, stamping and assembling car bodies.

From The Wall Street Journal

The whirring piña colada machine tempted me, but at $15 a glass, it would quickly drain my budget.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Northern California city sent out police drones whirring 400 feet in the air this Fourth of July to hunt for people setting off illegal fireworks, and issued more than $300,000 in fines.

From The Wall Street Journal

For all their technical acumen, the hum and whir of life remains absent in their work, which merely mimics the semblances of behavior they’ve observed from other films.

From Los Angeles Times