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“Were” or “Whir”

were / whir are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

were w·er

  • verbhave the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun).
  • verbbe identical to; be someone or something.
  • verboccupy a certain position or area; be somewhere.
  • verbhappen, occur, take place.
  • verbwork in a specific place, with a specific subject, or in a specific function.
  • verbspend or use time.
  • verbhave life, be alive.
  • verbto remain unmolested, undisturbed, or uninterrupted -- used only in infinitive form.

whir

  • nounsound of something in rapid motion.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“were”

  • …Républíque Démocratique du Congo (MLAZ/FURNAC), were reported to cooperate with the…
  • …members of the All-Century Team were revealed.
  • …a soldier, while three soldiers were injured.
  • …group or as individual groups, were not party to the 1999…
  • …and Masisi north of Goma were the centres of Mai-Mai activity…
  • Six Virunga Park Rangers were reported to have been killed…
  • Both albums were released on Rideau Rouge Records…
  • …report, 20,000 to 30,000 Mai-Mai were active in the two Kivu
  • …Mai-Mai groups in the Kivus were led by Generals Padiri and
  • Mai-Mai were particularly active in the eastern…

“whir”

  • …and perceive there is a whir of information processing, but there…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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