whir

or whirr

[ hwur, wur ]

verb (used without object)

, whirred, whir·ring.

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, whir·ring.

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

For communities like Brenda’s and David’s, the computational whir of data centers is not merely an annoyance, but a source of mental and physical harm.

From Popular-Science

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.

From Washington Post

The whir of the circling NYPD helicopter muffled their chants calling for unity and calling out police brutality.

From The Daily Beast

As we approach the rumble of guns grows louder and alternates with the whir of cannonballs, which begin to attract his attention.

From The Daily Beast

You can almost hear the gears whir: Kagan offers the most liberalism for the longest time at the lowest political cost.

From The Daily Beast

For a few seconds the silence was unbroken save for a whir of a taxicab passing outside.

From Project Gutenberg

Both had heard the well-remembered whir at the same moment, and bounded away several steps before pausing to look back.

From Project Gutenberg

Suddenly some birds arose with a great whir of wings, and alighted in a tree.

From Project Gutenberg

She heard the whir of a machine, fast and then slow again, near and then at a distance.

From Project Gutenberg

Then, from out of the darkness, came something that moved on a whir of caterpillar treads.

From Project Gutenberg