whir
Other forms: whirring; whirs
The softly vibrating sound of something moving fast is a whir. The whir of a hummingbird's wings up close sounds a lot like a buzzing insect.
Whir is one of those words like buzz, clink, and oink that sound exactly like what they mean; this effect is called onomatopoeia. You can use this one as a noun or a verb, so while your ceiling fan whirs overhead on a hot day, the whir of insects reminds you to close the window screen.
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the sound of something in rapid motion
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make a soft swishing sound
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Vocabulary lists containing whir
After receiving an old lawnmower on his 12th birthday, the unnamed narrator recounts the adventurous summer he spent mowing his neighbors' lawns and becoming a young entrepreneur.
In this novel, high school senior Belén deals with panic attacks in the wake of her father leaving while she tries to help her pregnant best friend Leti prepare to be a mother.
Fourth graders Shayla, Liam, Ben, and Ai struggle to adjust to quarantine life in their New York City apartment building during the COVID-19 pandemic.