to churr

9.9

Make a low, vibrating sound that repeats, like a bird or insect

verb
/tʃɜr/

: trinar

I heard the insects churring in the trees.

Examples

At dawn, the nightjars began to churr softly in the bushes.
The bird churred softly in the morning.
The insect churrs incessantly throughout the warm summer evenings.
We paused on the path, listening as a distant bird churred in the shadows.
At dawn, the nightjars began to churr softly in the bushes.
The insect churrs incessantly throughout the warm summer evenings.
We paused on the path, listening as a distant bird churred in the shadows.

Synonyms

to whirr

vsto churr

16 6.7

To make a soft, steady buzzing sound often from things that move fast like fan blades

is a natural trilling sound from animals rather than mechanical vibration

to drone

vsto churr

1 5.8

To make a long low steady sound

is vibrant and trilling rather than a dull monotonous sound

to chirr

vsto churr

9.9

To make a long high buzzing sound like a grasshopper or cicada

is lower and more purely trilling than the continuous buzzing form

to chir

vsto churr

9.3

To make a short high sound like a bird or insect

is lower in pitch and more vibratory than the general trilling

to burr

vsto churr

7.9

To make a low buzzing or humming sound

is a trilling sound rather than a steady hum or continuous vibration

How Vibrant

trill

Specialized

1 7.4

to warble

7 7.8

to churr

9.9

to purr

20 1.0

to hum

49 1.0

Surface Forms

churr infinitive

churred past

churred past participle

churring present participle

churrs third person singular

Etymology

The word churr comes from copying the sound itself. It copies the low, buzzing trill of some birds or insects, much like purr copies a cat's soft vibration, so to 'churr' is to 'make a low, buzzing trilling sound'.