whir

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Related to whir: whirlpool, whirr, white pages

whir

(wûr, hwûr)

v. whirred, whir·ring, whirs

v.intr.

To produce a vibrating or buzzing sound or move while making such a sound: The fan whirred in the window. A bee whirred past my ear.

v.tr.

To cause to make or move with such a sound: "She whirred the wheel of the sewing-machine round and round" (Virginia Woolf).

A sound of buzzing or vibration: the whir of turning wheels.

[Middle English whirren, probably of Scandinavian origin.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

whir

(wɜː) or

whirr

1. a prolonged soft swish or buzz, as of a motor working or wings flapping

2. a bustle or rush

vb, whirs, whirrs, whirring or whirred

to make or cause to make a whir

[C14: probably from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian kvirra, Danish hvirre; see whirl]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

whir

or whirr

(ʰwɜr, wɜr)

v. whirred, whir•ring,
n. v.i.

1. to go, revolve, or otherwise move quickly with a humming sound.

v.t.

2. to move or transport with a whirring sound: A car whirred him away.

3. an act or sound of whirring: the whir of wings.

[1350–1400; Middle English quirre (Scots) < Scandinavian; compare Dan hvirre, Norwegian kvirra. See whirl]

whir

Past participle: whirred
Gerund: whirring

Imperative
whir
whir

Present
I whir
you whir
he/she/it whirs
we whir
you whir
they whir

Preterite
I whirred
you whirred
he/she/it whirred
we whirred
you whirred
they whirred

Present Continuous
I am whirring
you are whirring
he/she/it is whirring
we are whirring
you are whirring
they are whirring

Present Perfect
I have whirred
you have whirred
he/she/it has whirred
we have whirred
you have whirred
they have whirred

Past Continuous
I was whirring
you were whirring
he/she/it was whirring
we were whirring
you were whirring
they were whirring

Past Perfect
I had whirred
you had whirred
he/she/it had whirred
we had whirred
you had whirred
they had whirred

Future
I will whir
you will whir
he/she/it will whir
we will whir
you will whir
they will whir

Future Perfect
I will have whirred
you will have whirred
he/she/it will have whirred
we will have whirred
you will have whirred
they will have whirred

Future Continuous
I will be whirring
you will be whirring
he/she/it will be whirring
we will be whirring
you will be whirring
they will be whirring

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been whirring
you have been whirring
he/she/it has been whirring
we have been whirring
you have been whirring
they have been whirring

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been whirring
you will have been whirring
he/she/it will have been whirring
we will have been whirring
you will have been whirring
they will have been whirring

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been whirring
you had been whirring
he/she/it had been whirring
we had been whirring
you had been whirring
they had been whirring

Conditional
I would whir
you would whir
he/she/it would whir
we would whir
you would whir
they would whir

Past Conditional
I would have whirred
you would have whirred
he/she/it would have whirred
we would have whirred
you would have whirred
they would have whirred

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	whir - sound of something in rapid motion; "whir of a bird's wings"; "the whir of the propellers" whirr, whirring, birr sound - the sudden occurrence of an audible event; "the sound awakened them"
Verb	1.	whir - make a soft swishing sound; "the motor whirred"; "the car engine purred" birr, purr, whirr, whiz, whizz sound, go - make a certain noise or sound; "She went `Mmmmm'"; "The gun went `bang'"

whir

verb

To make a continuous low-pitched droning sound:

bumble, burr, buzz, drone, hum, whiz.

noun

A continuous low-pitched droning sound:

bumble, burr, buzz, drone, hum, whiz.

Translations

طَنين، أزيزيُحْدِثُ صَوْتا كالطَّنين أو الأزيز

búgás

whir(r)

(wəː) – past tense, past participle whirred – verb

to make, or move with, a buzzing sound, especially as of something turning through the air. The propellers whirred and we took off.

noun

such a sound.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

He flew around with a great whir of his wings and settled upon a large ram, with the intention of carrying him off, but his claws became entangled in the ram's fleece and he was not able to release himself, although he fluttered with his feathers as much as he could.

View in context

Once seated within what he already considered his new possession, the black's courage began to wane and when the motor was started and the great propeller commenced to whir, he screamed to the Englishman to stop the thing and permit him to alight, but the aviator could neither hear nor understand the black above the noise of the propeller and exhaust.

"I said I'd give this beggar the lesson of his life," he murmured as he heard, even above the whir of the propeller, the shriek of the terrified Negro.

Her lips moved but whether they voiced consent or refusal he did not know, for the words were drowned in the whir of the propeller.

View in context

The rope sped with singing whir high above the heads of the blacks.

View in context

It all happened at the same time: a boy ran towards a dove and glanced smiling at Levin; the dove, with a whir of her wings, darted away, flashing in the sun, amid grains of snow that quivered in the air, while from a little window there came a smell of fresh-baked bread, and the loaves were put out.

View in context

My company voice is so low and unimpressive that my first remark is merely an intimation that I am about to speak (like the whir of the clock before it strikes): must it be revealed that I had another voice, that there was one door I never opened without leaving my reserve on the mat?

View in context

There was little sound, and none agreeable save the whir of the ship's sewing machine at which Smee sat, ever industrious and obliging, the essence of the commonplace, pathetic Smee.

View in context

the apex at immaturity going balci as a business man but I refuse to grow up grow old fade away lie on the porch with all the tenacity of a neutered dog encircled by vultures Tony Alva, Bill Danforth, Ray Barbee, Lance Mountain, and Steve Caballero are heroes of my culture my ear still bends to the whir stick click grind slide of obsession my ear still bends to the sounds of vandalism and public menacing my mind still dreams of nice long curbs without a cop in sight my heart still pounds with the passion of a "misunderstood youth" so when I the bald, out of shape professor of English dust off my manual and kickflip before class and you oh so maturely ask if it's completely necessary I respond you're damn skippy it's not necessary and that's what makes my life more fun than yours.

POET'S CORNER

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The Web Host Industry Review

While banner ads are likely here to stay, expect to hear more than just the whir of your machine the next time you log onto the Internet.

Online Advertising Goes Audio

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