whir
verb/wɜː(r)/
/wɜːr/
(also whirr)
[intransitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they whir | /wɜː(r)/ /wɜːr/ |
| he / she / it whirs | /wɜːz/ /wɜːrz/ |
| past simple whirred | /wɜːd/ /wɜːrd/ |
| past participle whirred | /wɜːd/ /wɜːrd/ |
| -ing form whirring | /ˈwɜːrɪŋ/ /ˈwɜːrɪŋ/ |
- to make a continuous, low sound like the parts of a machine moving
- The clock began to whir before striking the hour.
- Three large fans whirred overhead in the afternoon heat.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryWhirr is used with these nouns as the subject:- machine
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘move with a whirring sound’): probably of Scandinavian origin; compare with whirl.Want to learn more?
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whir