Verb the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough road Noun the whir of a fan a whir coming from the refrigerator
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
At around 80 mph, though, noise from the motors can whir its way into the cabin. Jonathon Ramsey, Car and Driver, 21 June 2022 Allow to freeze until solid, then whir the cubes in a blender.Outside Online, 22 Aug. 2018 Both sound documents manage to simultaneously distort and heighten reality, some strains melting together in a dreamy gauze while others whir on loop in the brain’s hamster wheel. Hannah Edgar, chicagotribune.com, 3 Dec. 2021 Make ahead, so the flavors intensify, then quickly whir with an immersion blender to reincorporate everything before serving.Washington Post, 11 Aug. 2021 And there are two 3D printers that whir into action as students make attachments to use with protective masks. Vincent T. Davis, ExpressNews.com, 10 Aug. 2020 The officer provided the phone number of a nearby resident, telling the owner to call it the next time his motion-sensing security cameras whirred into action. Richard Fausset, New York Times, 16 May 2020 Slightly bigger than a medium-sized dog, the six-wheeled robots whir around delivering snacks and meals throughout the day. Brandi Addison, Dallas News, 7 May 2020 Neighbors came out to witness and capture the procession on their cellphones while helicopters, including a U.S. Customs & Border Patrol black hawk, whirred loudly overhead. Mark Kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2020
Noun
The click and whir of the camera are the first notes in Jovan Ajder’s evocative sound design. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2022 But a bicycle makes no noise apart from the whir of its crankshaft and the chu-chunk of its derailleurs. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Aug. 2022 But still, outages happened, from Acton to West Roxbury, Newton to Chelsea, silencing the reassuring whir of air conditioners. Sabrina Shankman, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2022 As the sound of country music has shifted, the emotive whir of its classic instrument has often been sidelined.New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 In January, officers walked into an East Hartford home and heard the whir of a 3D printer, allegedly printing more guns right before their eyes. Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2022 It’s the gentle whir of the blades on my manual lawn mower. John Kelly, Washington Post, 3 July 2022 But even in Sport mode, the active exhaust system's internal-combustion fireworks were tempered, the aggressive growl of the V-8 sounding distant under the accompaniment of an electronic whir played through the audio system. Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, 17 May 2022 Around me, the quiet is broken only by the whir of the cable car engine and the trilling of birds.New York Times, 12 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English (Scots) quirren, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish hvirre to whirl, whir