verb C1 Advanced

churn

Churn (verb) means to stir or agitate a liquid vigorously, especially to make butter from cream. Example: “She churned the cream for an hour to make fresh butter.”

verb

To stir or agitate a liquid vigorously, especially to make butter from cream.

"She churned the cream for an hour to make fresh butter."

"The propeller churned the water into foam."

To produce something rapidly and in large quantity, often with an implication of low care or quality.

"The studio churns out sequels every summer."

noun

The rate at which customers stop using a company's product or service.

"The startup struggled with high customer churn in its first year."

A container used for making butter by agitating cream.

"An old wooden churn stood in the corner of the barn."

How to use churn

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo stir something forcefully (like cream into butter), to mass-produce something quickly, or — in business — the rate customers walk away.

Common mistake

In a business context, "churn" almost always refers to customer loss, not production.

Common pairings

churn out stomach churns customer churn churn butter

Word forms

churned past tense, churns plural, churns singular

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

She _____ the cream for an hour to make fresh butter.

Etymology

From Old English cyrin/cyrne (the container) and cernan (to stir), of unclear deeper origin, related to Dutch karn and German Kirne.

Origin: Old English

Synonyms

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boil moil roil butter churn

Related words

boil sublime annoy fag moil roil sauté toil

Rhymes for churn

urn burn turn spurn

See all rhymes for churn →

Frequently asked questions

What does “churn” mean?

The word “churn” means to stir or agitate a liquid vigorously, especially to make butter from cream. In plain terms, to stir something forcefully (like cream into butter), to mass-produce something quickly, or — in business — the rate customers walk away.

How do you pronounce “churn”?

“Churn” is pronounced churn (/t͡ʃɝn/ in IPA).

How do you use “churn” in a sentence?

Here is “churn” used in a sentence: “She churned the cream for an hour to make fresh butter.”

What part of speech is “churn”?

Depending on how it is used, “churn” can be a verb and a noun.

Where does the word “churn” come from?

The word “churn” comes from Old English. From Old English cyrin/cyrne (the container) and cernan (to stir), of unclear deeper origin, related to Dutch karn and German Kirne.

How many meanings does “churn” have?

“Churn” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to stir or agitate a liquid vigorously, especially to make butter from cream.

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boil sublime annoy fag moil roil sauté toil