churn: Meaning and Definition of

churn

Pronunciation: (chûrn), [key]
— n.
  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. a large milk can.
  4. an act of churning stocks by a stockbroker.
—v.t.
  1. to agitate in order to make into butter: to churn cream.
  2. to make (butter) by the agitation of cream.
  3. to shake or agitate with violence or continued motion: The storm churned the sea.
  4. (of a stockbroker) to trade (a customer's securities) excessively in order to earn more in commissions.
—v.i.
  1. to operate a churn.
  2. to move or shake in agitation, as a liquid or any loose matter: The leaves churned along the ground.
  3. (of a stockbroker) to engage in the practice of churning.
  4. to produce mechanically, hurriedly, or routinely: He was hired to churn out verses for greeting cards.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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