From Middle English whirren, probably from Old Norse: compare Danish hvirre, virre, Norwegian kvirre, Old Norse hvirfla (“to whirl, spread”).
Meanings
A sibilant buzz or vibration; the sound of something in rapid motion.
At that moment a flight of birds passed close overhead, and at the whirr of their wings a panic fear seized her. 1978, Lawrence Durrell, “Lord Galen’s Farewell”, in Livia: Or Buried Alive […] (The Avignon Quintet; 2), London; Boston, Mass.: Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 239:
Then the exploding whirr of wings in the wind — a mixed covey of bobwhites and scalies. 2007, Jeffrey Engel, Sherol Engel, & James A. Swan, Chasing The Hunter's Dream: 1,001 of the World's Best Duck Marshes, Deer Runs, Elk Meadows, Pheasant Fields, Bear Woods, Safaris, and Extraordinary Hunts, HarperCollins, published 2007, →ISBN, page 212:
As Jane turned from the telephone she heard the whirr of a motor. That would be the children coming home from school. The car called for them at the playground every afternoon at five. 1930, Margaret Ayer Barnes, Years of Grace, Part III, Chapter III, page 305:
A bustle of noise and excitement.
The vibrating sound made by a panther in its throat when contented.
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whirrs
Number=Plur
lexicographic
whir
alternative
lexicographic
Synonyms
buzz (sibilant buzz or vibration) · hustle (bustle of noise and excitement) · bustle (bustle of noise and excitement) · hum (sibilant buzz or vibration) · whizz (sibilant buzz or vibration) · drone (sibilant buzz or vibration) · whistle (sibilant buzz or vibration) · whine (sibilant buzz or vibration) · purr (sibilant buzz or vibration)
Translations (13)
it sibilo (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · ota زر (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · ota طنطنه (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · fi hurina (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · it frullio (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · bg бръмчене (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · cs vrčení (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · cs bzučení (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · ckb گِڤە (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · ga seordán (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · fi surina (A sibilant buzz or vibration) · cs bzukot (A bustle of noise and excitement) · cs bzukot (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
From Middle English whirren, probably from Old Norse: compare Danish hvirre, virre, Norwegian kvirre, Old Norse hvirfla (“to whirl, spread”).
Meanings
To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound.
(intransitive) To make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound.
In a city where media companies and hospitals have armed guards, this accessibility is unusual. Inside, drivers sit and chat in between shifts, the overhead fan whirring and causing the dim electric light to flicker over their faces. 2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian:
(transitive) To cause (something) to make such a sound.
(intransitive) (of a panther) To make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented, much like the domestic cat’s purr.
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whir
alternative
lexicographic
whirring
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
whirrs
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
whirred
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
whirred
Tense=Past
lexicographic
Synonyms
buzz (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound) · hum (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound) · purr (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound) · whine (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound) · whistle (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound) · drone (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound) · whizz (make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound)
Translations (24)
nl gonzen (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · mi pererū (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · nl snorren (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · fr vrombir (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · nl brommen (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · cs vrčet (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · nl zoemen (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · it roteare (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · ro șuiera (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · fi hurista (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · it sbattere (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · mi rorowhio (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · it turbinare (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · it frullare (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · es zurrir (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · fi surista (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · es zurriar (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · izh pörissä (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · de surren (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · cs bzučet (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · cs hrčet (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · bg бръмча (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · mi tūpererū (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound) · it vorticare (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)