whir

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“
As I smoked I heard the game begin again,--with a miss in balk this time, for the whir was a short one The door was open and I could see into the room.

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Definitions (13)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. intransitive verb To move so as to produce a vibrating or buzzing sound.
  2. transitive verb To cause to make a vibratory sound.
  3. noun A sound of buzzing or vibration: the whir of turning wheels.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (50)

  • I heard a loud clank, whir, a bang and a roar; a missile leaped from one of the vehicles toward the sky, and then another. —  Analog, July/August 2003
  • Somewhere beyond the chamber walls came a muffled whir, and a terrified screaming from Ted recalled her to the task. —  F ;SF; - vol 090 issue 01 - January 1996
  • A mechanical whir was audible in the background This is a recording. —  Sharon Sala - Ryder's Wife
  • A brief whir, and air moves again, and soft white light replaces the green. —  AeonTen
  • Pack leaves and generous pinch salt into food processor or blender; whir, adding just enough olive oil to make a thick purée.
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This word has been looked up 96 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

whirr ·  whine ·  clank ·  clatter ·  rumble ·  buzz ·  thud ·  screech ·  beep ·  thrum ·  chirp ·  clack
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English whirren, probably of Scandinavian origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Also whirr, and formerly whur; prob. from Danish hvirre, whirl, twirl, = Swedish dial, hwirra, whirl; cf. German schwirren, whir, buzz. Cf. whirl.
  2. Also whirr; from whir, v.
 

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/hwər/
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