My computer's fan started spinning with a soft whirr.
Source: tatoeba (8788363)
Whirr
//wɜː//
Synonyms for "whirr" (33 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (7)
Strong matches (10)
Related words (16)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Translations
37 translations across 14 languages.
Bulgarian
2 entries- бръмчене noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- бръмча verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Central Kurdish
1 entries- گِڤە noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
Czech
4 entries- bzukot noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- bzukot noun (A bustle of noise and excitement)
- bzučení noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- vrčení noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
Dutch
4 entries- brommen verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- gonzen verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- snorren verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- zoemen verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Finnish
4 entries- hurina noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- surina noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- hurista verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- surista verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
French
1 entries- vrombir verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
German
1 entries- surren verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Ingrian
1 entries- pörissä verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Irish
1 entries- seordán noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
Italian
4 entries- frullio noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- sibilo noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- frullare verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- roteare verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Māori
3 entries- pererū verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- rorowhio verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- tūpererū verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Ottoman Turkish
2 entries- زر noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
- طنطنه noun (A sibilant buzz or vibration)
Romanian
1 entries- șuiera verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Spanish
2 entries- zurriar verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
- zurrir verb (To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound)
Sample sentences
4 total sentences available.
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.
Source: wiktionary
At that moment a flight of birds passed close overhead, and at the whirr of their wings a panic fear seized her.
Source: wiktionary
Then the exploding whirr of wings in the wind — a mixed covey of bobwhites and scalies.
Source: wiktionary
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.