Link Centre Dictionary

whirr

UK/wɜː/ US/wɝ/ uncommon
noun (1) verb (2)

noun

1.

sound of something in rapid motion

  • “whir of a bird”
  • “;”
Synonyms

verb

1.

make a soft swishing sound

  • “the motor whirred”
  • “the car engine purred”
Synonyms
2.

make a vibrant sound, as of some birds

Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English whirren, probably from Old Norse: compare Danish hvirre, virre, Norwegian kvirre, Old Norse hvirfla (“to whirl, spread”).

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.