Whir — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

sound of something in rapid motion

make a soft swishing sound

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/wˈɜː/

🇬🇧British English

/wˈɜː/

🇮🇳Indian English

/wˈɜː/

1 syllable Say it as /wˈɜː/.

Examples

whir of a bird's wings
the whir of the propellers
the motor whirred

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

whizz whiz whirring birr whirr purr

Parts of Speech

noun	sound of something in rapid motion “whir of a bird's wings”
verb	make a soft swishing sound “the motor whirred”

Word Forms

whir	verb	make a soft swishing sound
whirr	verb	make a soft swishing sound
birr	verb	make a soft swishing sound
whiz	noun	a buzzing or hissing sound as of something traveling rapidly through the air
whirr	noun	sound of something in rapid motion
whir	noun	sound of something in rapid motion
whirring	noun	sound of something in rapid motion
birr	noun	sound of something in rapid motion

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

schwirren

Geräusch von etwas in schneller Bewegung

🇫🇷French

vrombissement

bruit de quelque chose en mouvement rapide

🇪🇸Spanish

zumbido

sonido de algo en movimiento rápido

🇮🇹Italian

ronzio

suono di qualcosa in rapido movimento

🇳🇱Dutch

snorren

geluid van iets dat snel beweegt

🇵🇹Portuguese

zumbir

som de algo em movimento rápido

🇷🇺Russian

жужжание

звук чего-то в быстром движении

India

🇮🇳Hindi

चक्कर

तीव्र गति से किसी वस्तु की ध्वनि

🇮🇳Tamil

சுழல்

வேகமான இயக்கத்தில் ஏதோ சத்தம்

🇮🇳Telugu

తిరుగుట

వేగవంతమైన కదలికలో ఏదో శబ్దం

🇮🇳Kannada

ಗಿರಕಿ ಹೊಡೆಯಿರಿ

ಕ್ಷಿಪ್ರ ಚಲನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾವುದೋ ಶಬ್ದ

🇮🇳Malayalam

ചുഴലിക്കാറ്റ്

ദ്രുതഗതിയിലുള്ള എന്തോ ശബ്ദം

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

呼呼

某物快速运动的声音

🇯🇵Japanese

ぐるぐる

何かが速く動いている音

🇰🇷Korean

씽 하는 소리

뭔가 빠르게 움직이는 소리

🇻🇳Vietnamese

tiếng vù vù

âm thanh của một cái gì đó đang chuyển động nhanh

🇹🇭Thai

เสียงหวือ

เสียงของบางสิ่งที่เคลื่อนไหวอย่างรวดเร็ว

🇮🇩Indonesian

desir

suara sesuatu yang bergerak cepat

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

أزيز

صوت شيء يتحرك بسرعة

🇮🇷Persian

غر زدن

صدای چیزی در حرکت سریع

🇹🇷Turkish

pırlamak

hızlı hareket eden bir şeyin sesi

🇮🇱Hebrew

זִמזוּם

צליל של משהו בתנועה מהירה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'whir'?

The primary meaning of 'whir' is 'sound of something in rapid motion'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'whir' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'whir' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'whir' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'whir' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'whir' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'whir' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'whir' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'whir' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'whir' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'whir' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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