churn
Use Churn in a sentence
noun
1.
a container or machine in which cream or milk is agitated to make butter.
2.
any of various containers or machines similar in shape or action to a butter churn, as a device for mixing beverages.
3.
British. a large milk can.
4.
an act of churning stocks by a stockbroker.
verb (used with object)
5.
to agitate in order to make into butter: to churn cream.
6.
to make (butter) by the agitation of cream.
7.
to shake or agitate with violence or continued motion: The storm churned the sea.
8.
(of a stockbroker) to trade (a customer's securities) excessively in order to earn more in commissions.
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Churn
is one of our favorite verbs.
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| chat, to converse |
| to bark; yelp. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 9.
to operate a churn.
10.
to move or shake in agitation, as a liquid or any loose matter: The leaves churned along the ground.
11.
(of a stockbroker) to engage in the practice of churning.
12.
churn out, to produce mechanically, hurriedly, or routinely: He was hired to churn out verses for greeting cards.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English chirne (noun), Old English cyrne cyr(i)n; cognate with Middle Low German kerne, Old Norse kjarni, kirna
before 1000; Middle English chirne (noun), Old English cyrne cyr(i)n; cognate with Middle Low German kerne, Old Norse kjarni, kirna
Related forms
churn·a·ble, adjective
churn·a·bil·i·ty, noun
churn·er, noun
un·churn, verb (used with object)
un·churned, adjective
Synonyms
7. whip, toss, convulse.
7. whip, toss, convulse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To churn
Collins
World English Dictionary
churn (tʃɜːn) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | (Brit) a large container for milk |
| 2. | a vessel or machine in which cream or whole milk is vigorously agitated to produce butter |
| 3. | any similar device |
| — | |
| 4. | the number of customers who switch from one supplier to another |
| 5. | a. to stir or agitate (milk or cream) in order to make butter |
| b. to make (butter) by this process | |
| 6. | ( |
| 7. | (of a bank, broker, etc) to encourage an investor or policyholder to change investments, endowment policies, etc, to increase commissions at the client's expense |
| 8. | (of a government) to pay benefits to a wide category of people and claw it back by taxation from the well off |
| 9. | to promote the turnover of existing subscribers leasing, and new subscribers joining, a cable television system or mobile phone company |
| [Old English ciern; related to Old Norse kjarni, Middle Low German kerne churn, German dialect Kern cream] | |
| 'churner | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
churn
O.E. cyrin, from P.Gmc. *kernjon, probably akin to cyrnel "kernel," from the grainy appearance of churned cream. Extended verbal senses are from late 17c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
churn definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
churn
device for making butter. The earliest churns were goatskins or other primitive containers in which cream could be agitated. The dash churn, familiar to farm homes for centuries, consisted of a tall, narrow, nearly cylindrical stone or wood tub fitted with a wooden cover; the cream was agitated by a hand-operated vertical wooden plunger, or dash. Another type, widely used in the 19th century, was shaped like a small barrel and mounted in a framework. Operation of a hand crank caused the barrel to revolve end over end
Learn more about churn with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Hundreds of journals churn out learned articles on cutting-edge research.
The turbines churn through marine life creating a dead zone where only a few crustaceans survive.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.
Flocks of bee-eaters follow tractors as they churn up croplands.
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