Meaning & use
whir
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To make a continuous, low, rapidly repeating sound, like a small motor or fast-moving wings.
Grammar: No object: the fan whirred.
Patterns
- something whirs
- something whirs away
The old ceiling fan whirred quietly above our heads.
I could hear the printer whirring in the next room.
A hummingbird whirred past the feeder and vanished.
nounusually singular
A continuous, low, rapidly repeating sound made by something spinning or vibrating quickly.
Grammar: Usually used with a: the whir of the engine.
Patterns
- the whir of something
The whir of the sewing machine filled the small workshop.
She fell asleep to the soft whir of the air conditioner.
There was a sudden whir of wings as the pigeons took off.
Word forms
| third person singular | whirs |
|---|---|
| past tense | whirred |
| past participle | whirred |
| -ing form | whirring |
| plural | whirs |
Common combinations
- the whir of a motor
- The whir of the motor told us the drill was still on.
- whir of wings
- We heard a whir of wings overhead as the ducks rose from the pond.
- whir into action
- The computer fans whirred into action as soon as I opened the game.
- whir softly
- The tiny camera whirred softly as it focused.
- whirring fan
- A whirring fan was the only sound in the stuffy office.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hum
- Hum is a smoother, lower, more even sound, while whir suggests faster, more visible spinning movement.
- buzz
- Buzz is higher and harsher, like an insect or a doorbell, whereas whir is rounder and more mechanical.
- drone
- Drone is a long, dull, monotonous sound and often feels annoying, while whir can be neutral or even pleasant.
- purr
- Purr is gentler and suggests a smoothly running engine or a cat, while whir sounds quicker and more mechanical.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: whir or whirl? whir or were?
whir vs whirl
Whirl means to spin or swirl round and round, while whir is about the sound. A fan can whirl, but the noise it makes is a whir.
whir vs were
The pronunciation /wɜː/ of whir sounds like British were, but whir is the spinning noise and were is a past form of be.
Practice
Which sentence uses whir correctly?
Choose one answer.
A fan makes a steady, rapid, low mechanical sound, which is what whir describes. A tree, a spoken answer and a flowing river are not typical sources of that sound.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “whir”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.