Word
churn
US/ˈtʃɝn/
UK/tʃˈɜːn/
Uncountable noun
Definition
n. the rate at which customers stop using a service or subscribers cancel their memberships. It is a key number for businesses to track how well they keep their clients.
n. the proportion of contractual customers or subscribers who leave a supplier during a given time period. Often used in subscription-based business models to measure retention efficiency.
Examples
“The company is trying to reduce customer churn this quarter.”
“High churn in the telecommunications industry often forces companies to offer aggressive discounts to attract new subscribers.”
“While the startup reported record-breaking user acquisition, the high monthly churn suggested that the core product failed to provide long-term value to its target audience.”
Examples
simple
“The company is trying to reduce customer churn this quarter.”
contextual
“High churn in the telecommunications industry often forces companies to offer aggressive discounts to attract new subscribers.”
complex
“While the startup reported record-breaking user acquisition, the high monthly churn suggested that the core product failed to provide long-term value to its target audience.”
Usage
Often functions as a modifier in compound nouns like 'churn rate' or 'customer churn'.
Real-World Examples
“The constant churn of managers and players at Watford will catch up with them at some point.” “Ligue 1 has always been a stopover for its top talents, but the rate of churn has hit new levels.” Etymology
Noun from Middle English chyrne, cherne, kyrne ( > Scots kirn), from Old English ċyrn, ċyrin, ċirin (“churn”), from Proto-Germanic kirnijǭ (“churn”); verb from Middle English chyrnen from Old English ċernan, from Proto-Germanic kirnijaną (“to churn, stir”), of unknown origin. Cognate with West Frisian tsjerne, Dutch karn, Walloon serene, German Karn, Kirne, Norwegian Bokmål kjerne, Danish kærne, Swedish kärna, Icelandic kirna.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/churn