whirr

present singular third person whirrs · participle present whirring · participle past whirred · past whirred · alternative whir

1. To move or vibrate (something) with a buzzing sound.
2. intransitiveTo make a sibilant buzzing or droning sound.

   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.

   2017 April 6, Samira Shackle, “On the frontline with Karachi’s ambulance drivers”, in the Guardian

   Synonyms: buzz, drone, hum, purr, whine, whistle, whizz

3. transitiveTo cause (something) to make such a sound.
4. intransitive(of a panther) To make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented, much like the domestic cat’s purr.

plural whirrs · alternative whir

1. A sibilant buzz or vibration; the sound of something in rapid motion.

   Then the exploding whirr of wings in the wind — a mixed covey of bobwhites and scalies.

   2007, Jeffrey Engel, Sherol Engel, & James A. Swan, Chasing The Hunter's Dream: 1,001 of the World's Best Duck Marshes, Deer Runs, Elk Meadows, Pheasant Fields, Bear Woods, Safaris, and Extraordinary Hunts, HarperCollins, published 2007, →ISBN, page 212

   2 more examples

   As Jane turned from the telephone she heard the whirr of a motor. That would be the children coming home from school. The car called for them at the playground every afternoon at five.

   1930, Margaret Ayer Barnes, Years of Grace, Part III, Chapter III, page 305

   At that moment a flight of birds passed close overhead, and at the whirr of their wings a panic fear seized her.

   1978, Lawrence Durrell, “Lord Galen’s Farewell”, in Livia: Or Buried Alive […] (The Avignon Quintet; 2), London; Boston, Mass.: Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 239

   Synonyms: buzz, drone, hum, purr, whine, whistle, whizz

2. A bustle of noise and excitement.

   Synonyms: bustle, hustle

3. The vibrating sound made by a panther in its throat when contented.