If you had one word to describe the sound of an electric motor (a table fan to be precise) what would you use? Buzzing? Humming? Something else?
By just reading the title. I thought of humming, whirring and buzzing. In the context provided I prefer whirring because the answer can't be "a man humming a tune" or "a swarm of killer bees".
It also depends on how well-balanced the fan is, what kind of base it has (rubber? felt?) and how level the surface it's on is. I've heard metal-based fans on uneven wooden tables buzz loudly.
I went with whirring. I think that fits best because it's one of those old style metal ones. You know the ones where you can really hear the blades chopping the air.
Irritating As in: "What is that irritating sound?" Or Whirring, humming, buzzing, purring, zzzzzzzing.
The word you select depends on what aspect of the sound you want to highlight, and what reaction to the sound you wish to convey.
I would say 'the sound of the electric fan running'. Sometimes adjectives are a bit too leading and over rated, imho. But in this case, it seems strange that an electric fan running would make an electric motor sound, since fans sound more like the moving air from the blades spinning. Maybe an old one would sound sparky, or buzzy...
'Whine' springs to mind. However, I have a bathroom fan that makes a kind of throbbing sound, probably because of a loose fitting. 'The fan emitted a strange throbbing sound, probably because of a loose fitting.' I haven't used it yet. Maybe this is one way of describing things differently - attribute a fault to them that makes them sound different.
The fans in my new apartment, I woke up to the sound of them today, and to be brutally honest the first word that came to mind was "fapping." However, "fapping" carries a double meaning lol.
I'd describe a metal fan as making a whisking sound. or perhaps a swishing noise. Very silent, and almost inaudible except for the sounds of its blades moving through the air.
