WHIRR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does whirr mean? 

• WHIRR (noun)
  The noun WHIRR has 1 sense:

1. sound of something in rapid motion

  Familiarity information: WHIRR used as a noun is very rare.

• WHIRR (verb)
  The verb WHIRR has 2 senses:

1. make a soft swishing sound

2. make a vibrant sound, as of some birds

  Familiarity information: WHIRR used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WHIRR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Sound of something in rapid motion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

birr; whir; whirr; whirring

Context example:

the whir of the propellers

Hypernyms ("whirr" is a kind of...):

sound (the sudden occurrence of an audible event)

Derivation:

whirr (make a soft swishing sound)

• WHIRR (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they whirr    ... he / she / it whirrs   
Past simple: whirred   
Past participle: whirred   
-ing form: whirring   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make a soft swishing sound

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Synonyms:

birr; purr; whir; whirr; whiz; whizz

Context example:

the car engine purred

Hypernyms (to "whirr" is one way to...):

go; sound (make a certain noise or sound)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence examples:

Cars whirr in the streets
The streets whirr with cars

Derivation:

whirr (sound of something in rapid motion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make a vibrant sound, as of some birds

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

churr; whirr

Hypernyms (to "whirr" is one way to...):

emit; let loose; let out; utter (express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words))

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

 Context examples 

Even as he looked one of the archers drew his sword with a sharp whirr of steel and stept up to the lost man.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The sun sank slowly towards the low Surrey hills, and the shadows crept steadily eastwards, but the whirr of the wheels and the roar of the hoofs never slackened.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And always the ptarmigan rose, whirring, before him, till their ker—ker—ker became a mock to him, and he cursed them and cried aloud at them with their own cry.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

The rocks of the Spy-glass re-echoed it a score of times; the whole troop of marsh-birds rose again, darkening heaven, with a simultaneous whirr; and long after that death yell was still ringing in my brain, silence had re-established its empire, and only the rustle of the redescending birds and the boom of the distant surges disturbed the languor of the afternoon.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

The willow-wren with his army also came flying through the air with such a humming, and whirring, and swarming that every one was uneasy and afraid, and on both sides they advanced against each other.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

All this life through which the electric car whirred seemed remote and unreal, and he would have experienced little interest and less shock if the great stone steeple of the church he passed had suddenly crumbled to mortar-dust upon his head.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

He came upon a valley where rock ptarmigan rose on whirring wings from the ledges and muskegs.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

To every traveller it was a sight of beauty, but to me it was the world—the great wide free world—and my heart thrilled and fluttered as the young bird’s may when it first hears the whirr of its own flight, and skims along with the blue heaven above it and the green fields beneath.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Once a white-necked sea eagle soared screaming high over the traveller's head, and again a flock of brown bustards popped up from among the bracken, and blundered away in their clumsy fashion, half running, half flying, with strident cry and whirr of wings.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)