whir
whir — verb
- whirpresent simple I / you / we / they
- whirsthird person singular
- whirringpresent participle
- whirredpast tense & past participle
- whirrs3rd person singular
1. to produce a steady low sound by turning or moving very fast, like the noise of
to produce a steady low sound by turning or moving very fast, like the noise of a fan or a machine motor; or to move somewhere while making that kind of noise
The desk fan whirred all night while Layla tried to sleep in the hot apartment.
Small drones whirred past the crowd while filming the festival from above.
whir + past (adverb of direction)
Tanvi whirred the blender for a few seconds to crush the ice cubes.
The helicopter blades whirred so loudly that Sofia covered her ears.
As Owen walked past the workshop, he heard the lathe whirring inside.
- buzz
a higher-pitched sound, often electrical or insect-like, whereas whir suggests deeper, more continuous mechanical rotation
- hum
a lower, more resonant steady sound (e.g. a refrigerator), less focused on rapid motion than whir
- drone
a deeper, more monotonous continuous sound that does not vary in pitch; whir can change pitch as speed changes
文法句型
whir (no object)
whir + adverb of direction
whir + object (e.g. blades, wings)
用法筆記
The American spelling is whir; the British spelling is whirr (with two r's). This sense is often used to describe the sound of rotating machinery, electric fans, helicopter rotors, and insect wings.
常見錯誤
whir — noun
1. a steady low noise that continues for a time, produced by something such as a fa
a steady low noise that continues for a time, produced by something such as a fan, motor, or other machine that is turning or moving very fast
From the kitchen came the steady whir of the mixer as Bao baked a cake.
Abigail could hear the low whir of the air conditioner from her desk.
collocation: low whir / steady whir / soft whir
The only sound in the library was the soft whir of the computer fans.
Eitan listened to the familiar whir of the old projector as the film began.
Jack turned off the fan when its constant whir started to give him a headache.
文法句型
the whir of + noun
a + adjective + whir