churn

Verb

1. (transitive) To agitate rapidly and repetitively, or to stir with a rowing or rocking motion; generally applies to liquids, notably cream.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To produce excessive and sometimes undesirable or unproductive activity or motion.
3. (intransitive) To move rapidly and repetitively with a rocking motion; to tumble, mix or shake.
4. To stop using a company's product or service.
5. (informal) To repeatedly cancel and rebook a reservation in order to refresh ticket time limits or other fare rule restrictions.
6. (US, informal) To continually sign up for new credit cards in order to earn signup bonuses, airline miles, and other benefits.
7. To carry out wash sales in order to make the market appear more active than it really is.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A vessel used for churning, especially for producing butter.
2. (countable, uncountable) A milk churn (container for the transportation of milk).
3. (uncountable) Customer attrition; the phenomenon or rate of customers leaving a company.
4. (countable, uncountable) The time when a consumer switches his/her service provider.
5. (countable, uncountable) The mass of people who are ready to switch carriers.
6. (countable, uncountable) Cyclic activity that achieves nothing.
7. (countable, historical, uncountable) The last grain cut at harvest; kern.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/tʃɜːn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: chyrne

Inherited from Old English: ċyrn

Inherited from Middle English: chyrnen

Inherited from Old English: ċernan

Cognate with Western Frisian: tsjerne

Cognate with Dutch: karn

Cognate with Walloon: serene

Cognate with German: Karn

Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål: kjerne

Cognate with Danish: kærne

Cognate with Swedish: kärna

Cognate with Icelandic: kirna

In summary

Noun from Middle English chyrne, cherne, kyrne ( > Scots kirn), from Old English ċyrn, ċyrin, ċirin (“churn”), from Proto-Germanic *kirnijǭ (“churn”); verb from Middle English chyrnen from Old English ċernan, from Proto-Germanic *kirnijaną (“to churn, stir”), of unknown origin. Cognate with West Frisian tsjerne, Dutch karn, Walloon serene, German Karn, Kirne, Norwegian Bokmål kjerne, Danish kærne, Swedish kärna, Icelandic kirna.

Synonyms

stir

stir up

can

roil

boil

agitate

disturb

moil

seethe

shake up

beat

bubble

oil mill

butter churn

shake

🫨

roll

ransack

turnover

flog

fuddle

intermix

lambaste

lash

lick

milk

🥛

mix

mix up

muddle

mystify

obscure

perplex

riddle

scourge

scramble

shellac

spank

squirm

stimulate

stump

throw

trounce

twiddle

unsettle

whip

whop

wriggle

water-can

spudder

produce by churning

stir round

Translations

baratter

baratte

zangola

Butterfass

aufwühlen

mantequera

agitar

durchschütteln

karnen

buttern

manteguera

Rührtrommel

ribollire

Butterfertiger

agiter