whirr
whirr — noun
- whirrsingular
- whirrsplural
1. a low, steady sound that goes on without stopping, like the noise made by a mach
a low, steady sound that goes on without stopping, like the noise made by a machine's moving parts or by something moving very fast through the air
The gentle whirr of the fan helped Otis fall asleep on the hot night.
collocation: gentle whirr (soft, not loud)
Anjali heard the whirr of the office printer coming from the hallway.
often + of + [machine noun]
The only sound in the room was the soft whirr of the computer fan.
As the blender sped up, its whirr grew louder and higher in pitch.
文法句型
usually singular
用法筆記
Often used with adjectives like 'gentle', 'soft', 'low', or 'steady' to describe the quality of the sound.
常見錯誤
whirr — verb
- whirrpresent simple I / you / we / they
- whirrshe / she / it
- whirredpast simple
- whirring-ing form
1. when a machine or a fast-moving object whirrs, it produces a steady, low sound t
when a machine or a fast-moving object whirrs, it produces a steady, low sound that goes on without stopping
The old air conditioner whirred loudly all through the summer afternoon.
Subject (machine) + whirr + adverb
Mei could hear the sewing machine whirring softly in the next room.
The helicopter blades whirred above the crowd as it landed.
Leo switched on the projector, and the fan inside began to whirr.
文法句型
Subject (machine/device) + whirr
用法筆記
The subject is almost always a machine, device, or fast-moving object. Not used for animal or human vocal sounds.
常見錯誤
2. to move, spin, or travel very quickly while making a low, steady sound — for exa
to move, spin, or travel very quickly while making a low, steady sound — for example, a fan blade spinning fast or an arrow flying through the air
The ceiling fan whirred round and round, cooling the room below.
whirr + direction (round and round)
A stone whirred past Darius's head and landed in the bushes.
Sade watched the toy helicopter whirr upward until it vanished into the clouds.
Bao released the drone, and it whirred away across the field in seconds.
文法句型
Subject + whirr + [direction/prepositional phrase]
用法筆記
Unlike the first verb sense, which focuses purely on the sound, this sense emphasises both the rapid motion and the accompanying sound. Often appears with a direction or destination phrase.