as in hummed
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound
the hummingbird whirred as it hovered over a flower our tires whirred as we traveled over the rough road
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Recent Examples of whirred
Luis was dressed in his hospital pyjamas; his pained breathing fogged his mask while the oxygen canister gurgled and whirred.
—
Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Traffic hummed along the avenue, and machinery whirred at the tire shop.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Helicopters and drones whirred overhead.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
As a drone whirred overhead and hooded people spray-painted the building and its fixtures, the protestors advocated for more civilly disobedient methods.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
The four rotating arms on the Nebulaz ride whirred furiously like the inner workings of a clock — and made less noise than a ticking second hand on a watch.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Off the usually tranquil shores of Arroyo and Guayanilla, beachgoers watched in disbelief as helicopters whirred and the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, appeared from nowhere.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
The base is a single can of black beans, whirred together in a food processor with taco seasoning or a quick pinch of whatever spices are around.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 16 Mar. 2026
Traffic hummed along the avenue, and machinery whirred at the tire shop.
—Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Helicopters and drones whirred overhead.
—Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
As a drone whirred overhead and hooded people spray-painted the building and its fixtures, the protestors advocated for more civilly disobedient methods.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
The four rotating arms on the Nebulaz ride whirred furiously like the inner workings of a clock — and made less noise than a ticking second hand on a watch.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
Off the usually tranquil shores of Arroyo and Guayanilla, beachgoers watched in disbelief as helicopters whirred and the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, appeared from nowhere.
—Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
The base is a single can of black beans, whirred together in a food processor with taco seasoning or a quick pinch of whatever spices are around.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 14 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whirred
Verb
-
Traffic hummed and whined on I-85.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
-
To the right hummed Interstate 190; beyond the highway, the Niagara River; beyond the river, Canada.—
Dan Barry,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Outside buzzed the controversial Court Street bike lane, the subject of a recent lawsuit which Dornagon covered closely.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Altadena buzzed with the sound of construction in late April.—
Aarne Heikkila,
NBC news,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Then Surge zipped through a tunnel and pranced around the ring.—
Ross Mantle,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
The Mayor, after arriving with his chief of staff and first deputy mayor, zipped off a pair of ankle boots and joined the men on the floor.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whirred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whirred. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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