whir

or whirr

[ hwur, wur ]

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.

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

/ wɜː /

noun

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

verb

1. to make or cause to make a whir

Word History and Origins

Origin of whir¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of whir¹

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

Example Sentences

It’s relatively quiet but for the whirring of cardio equipment and a blend of lo-fi and electronic pop music on the sound system.

From Los Angeles Times

Outside Los Angeles City Hall, the whir of helicopters overhead was drowned out by a cacophony of bullhorns and fiery chanting.

From Los Angeles Times

The warm din of clinking ceramic mugs, muted conversation and the whir of espresso machines was absent, replaced by the cold glow of a giant screen listing customers’ names in a clinical, digital procession.

From Salon

And then, enter next, artificial intelligence, an industrial revolution whirring on countless hard drives and computer chips.

From BBC

You can feel his brains whirring in every shot of “The Brutalist,” zooming as fast as his motif of POV shots from a speeding bus, train and gondola.

From Los Angeles Times