whir

1 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly whirr
whirred; whirring

intransitive verb

: to fly, revolve, or move rapidly with a whir
hummingbirds whirring past

transitive verb

: to move or carry rapidly with a whir

whir

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly whirr
: a continuous fluttering or vibratory sound made by something in rapid motion
the whir of machinery

Examples of whir in a Sentence

Verb the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough road Noun the whir of a fan a whir coming from the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
With two on and two out in the third, Marsh reared back for a 98 mph heater, whirring it by Ramirez for a swinging strikeout. Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 29 June 2024 The engines whirred to life as the boat began its journey northbound. Max Chesnes, Orlando Sentinel, 26 June 2024
Noun
The warehouse around him was filled with the whir of buzz saws and the flashing sparks of welding tools as his coworkers dismantled floats from past years of the iconic Rose Parade. Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2024 The piney edge of the rosemary complements the smoky whir of the drink's mezcal core. Scott Hocker, theweek, 20 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for whir 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'whir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English (Scots) quirren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish hvirre to whirl, whir

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1677, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whir was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near whir

Cite this Entry

“Whir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whir. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

whir

1 of 2 verb
variants also whirr
ˈhwər How to pronounce whir (audio)
ˈwər
whirred; whirring
: to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a buzzing sound
ceiling fans whirred overhead

whir

2 of 2 noun
variants also whirr
: a fluttering or vibrating sound made by something in rapid motion
the whir of machinery

More from Merriam-Webster on whir

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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