/ tʃɜːn; NAmE tʃɜːrn/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
churn (sth) (up) if water, mud, etc. churns , or if sth churns it (up) , it moves or is moved around violently :
[ v ]
The water churned beneath the huge ship.
[ vn ]
Vast crowds had churned the field into a sea of mud.
2.
if your stomach churns or if sth churns your stomach, you feel a strong, unpleasant feeling of worry, disgust or fear :
[ v ]
My stomach churned as the names were read out.
[also vn ]
3.
churn (sb) (up) to feel or to make sb feel upset or emotionally confused :
[ v ]
Conflicting emotions churned inside him.
[also vn ]
4.
[ vn ] to turn and stir milk in a special container in order to make butter
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- churn sth out
■ noun
1.
a machine in which milk or cream is shaken to make butter
2.
( BrE ) a large metal container in which milk was carried from a farm in the past
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English cyrin , of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German kerne and Old Norse kirna .