whirr

Alternative forms

• whir

Etymology

Perhaps from Old Norse hvirfla (“to whirl, spread”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /wɜː/ or IPA^(key): /ʍɜː/ (especially Scottish English)
• (US) enPR: wûr, IPA^(key): /wɝ/ or enPR: hwûr, IPA^(key): /ʍɝ/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(r)
• Homophone: were (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Verb

whirr (third-person singular simple present whirrs, present participle whirring, simple past and past participle whirred)

1. To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound.
2. (intransitive) To make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound.
   • 2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian‎:

     In a city where media companies and hospitals have armed guards, this accessibility is unusual. Inside, drivers sit and chat in between shifts, the overhead fan whirring and causing the dim electric light to flicker over their faces.

3. (transitive) To cause (something) to make such a sound.

Noun

whirr (plural whirrs)

1. A sibilant buzz or vibration; the sound of something in rapid motion.
2. A bustle of noise and excitement.