to whirr
16
6.7
- verb
- /wɜr/
:
zumbar
- I heard the whirr of the old ceiling fan as it slowly turned in the warm room.
- cameras whirred
- helicopters whirred
- machines whirred
Examples
-
All day Mrs. Oliver heard humming and whirring noises coming from Mr. Oliver's room.
Fiction book (1997) -
Finally, after consulting a computer console, the cyborg whirred its way over to where Lando and Wendy waited.
Fiction book (1991) -
The first voice I heard when the tape whirred forward was Don Ward.
Fiction book (1993) -
The instrument panels whirr around as the pilots struggle for control.
Fiction book (1998) -
I stand in the driveway now, listening to the cicadas whirring in the dark tree.
Fiction book (1998) -
Two U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopters whirr across the choppy ocean.
Fiction book (1998) -
Eventually, she got his attention with a toy robot that whirred and blinked its eyes.
Fiction book (1991) -
Behind them, the crane whirrs back to life, raising the cable back up out of the raptor pen.
Fiction book (1993) -
The cyborg dipped lower, whirred its way under a stubby wing, and looked at the port hydraulics.
Fiction book (1991) -
The blender began to whirr as it mixed the ingredients for the smoothie.
Synonyms
49
1.0
Make a low steady sound like a machine
6
3.5
To make a soft steady vibrating sound like a running engine
2
4.6
To make a soft, continuous sound by turning or moving fast
To make a soft whirring sound while moving quickly
To make a low buzzing or humming sound
To make a short low buzzing sound like a small electronic motor or insect
How Loud
Surface Forms
Etymology
Whirr is a sound word that copies the noise it makes, like buzz or hiss. It began as a way to name the low, fast sound of things that spin, so to whirr is 'to make a continuous, low, vibrating or humming sound'.