churn

/tʃərn/

/tʃən/

Other forms: churning; churned; churns

A churn is a container that you fill with cream and then agitate until the cream becomes butter. You may have only bought butter at the store, but your ancestors probably used a traditional plunger-type churn to make their own.

The verb churn means to mix cream until it turns into butter, separating out the buttermilk. You can make your own butter by churning it in a jar if you don't have a churn, shaking heavy cream until it becomes solid. To churn can also simply mean to agitate, like a boat might churn in a turbulent ocean, or your stomach might churn with anxiety about your big test the next day.

Definitions of churn

1. noun

   a vessel in which cream is agitated to separate butterfat from buttermilk
   synonyms: butter churn

   type of:

   vessel

   an object used as a container (especially for liquids)
2. verb

   stir (cream) vigorously in order to make butter
   type of:

   stir

   move an implement through
3. verb

   be agitated
   “the sea was churning in the storm”

   synonyms: boil, moil, roil

   types:

   roll, seethe

   boil vigorously

   type of:

   move

   move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion