This sales term describes the cycle of acquiring new customers and losing others that characterizes consumer e-commerce and limits long-term customer value due to the ease of switching clientele.

Last updated: June 08, 2004.

n.

A vessel or device in which cream or milk is agitated to separate the oily globules from the caseous and serous parts, used to make butter.

v., churned, churn·ing, churns.

v.tr.

1. 1. To agitate or stir (milk or cream) in order to make butter.
   2. To make by the agitation of milk or cream: churn butter.
2. To shake or agitate vigorously: wind churning up the piles of leaves. See synonyms at agitate.
3. To buy and sell (a client's securities) frequently, especially in order to generate commissions.

v.intr.

1. To make butter by operating a device that agitates cream or milk.
2. To move with or produce great agitation: waves churning in the storm; so angry it made my stomach churn.

phrasal verb:

churn out

1. To produce in an abundant and automatic manner: churns out four novels a year.

[Middle English chirne, from Old English cyrn, cyrin.]

churner churn'er n.

Firing one group of employees and hiring another. As companies move into newer, high-tech ventures, they often eliminate employees with older skills while bringing on new people who have computer programming, networking and Web experience. In short, stay computer literate! It pays to read this publication often. See churn rate.

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1. An unethical practice employed by some brokers to increase their commissions by excessively trading in a client's account. This practice violates the NASD Fair Practice Rules. It is also referred to as "churn and burn", "twisting" and "overtrading".

2. A period of heavy trading with few sustained price trends and little movement in stock market indexes.

Investopedia Says:
Another negative result for the client is being stuck with higher tax bills.

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Learn the clues you'll need to determine whether you've chosen a reputable professional. Is Your Broker Acting In Your Best Interest?
Learn how to weed out those who are just out to make a quick buck. Find The Right Financial Advisor
Protecting yourself from unscrupulous practices means knowing how to spot them. Understanding Dishonest Broker Tactics
The way a professional is compensated can affect quality of service. Learn more here. Paying Your Investment Advisor - Fees Or Commissions?
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Banking:

1. Lending and refinancing, replacing old debt with new debt to collect commitment fees and other fees.

2. In collection of past-due loans, extracting token payments from delinquent borrowers, without curing the delinquency (restoring the debt to current paid status). The best example is in credit cards, where a borrower whose account is extended to the Credit Limit agrees to send three $10 payments, or takes a cash advance against the credit line to pay down the outstanding balance.

3. In a loan portfolio, replacing expired accounts with new accounts, without increasing the number of accounts. This happens most often in a highly competitive market, as in bank credit cards.

Securities: excessive trading in a customer's account designed solely to increase broker's commissions-an illegal practice under SEC rules.

To agitate cream briskly so that the fat separates from the liquid, thereby forming a solid (butter). The old-fashioned butter churn consisted of a container fitted with wooden blades that, when a crank was rotated, would whirl the cream inside until it turned to butter. The modern household substitute for a butter churn is the food processor.

verb

1. To cause to move to and fro violently: agitate, convulse, rock, shake. See calm/agitation, repetition.
2. To be in a state of emotional or mental turmoil: boil, bubble, burn, ferment, seethe, simmer, smolder. See calm/agitation.

IN BRIEF: A container in which milk or cream is beaten to make butter. Also: To shake or stir violently.

They will use the churn to beat cream into butter.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - kærne, mælkejunge, malstrøm
v. tr. - piske op, kærne, male, sprøjte ud
v. intr. - køre rundt

idioms:

• churn out    sprøjte ud

Nederlands (Dutch)
karn, melkbus, karnen, kolken, van streek maken

Français (French)
n. - baratte, (GB) bidon, tank à lait
v. tr. - baratter, (fig) faire tourbillonner (eau, air)
v. intr. - tourbillonner, baratter, tourner sur place (un moteur)

idioms:

• churn out    débiter (un discours), pondre (qch) en série, produire (qch) en série

Deutsch (German)
v. - wirbeln, wallen
n. - Butterfaß, Milchkanne

idioms:

• churn out    am laufenden Band produzieren

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - βουτυροποιώ, δέρνω (γάλα), (μτφ.) αναταράσσω, αναστατώνω, κοχλάζω, αφρίζω
n. - δοχείο παρασκευής βούτυρου, καρδάρα, (Βρετ.) μεταλλικό δοχείο μεταφοράς γάλατος

idioms:

• churn out    παράγω σε μεγάλες ποσότητες

Italiano (Italian)
mulinare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - bater em batedeira, desnatar, agitar
n. - batedeira (f) de manteiga, latão (m) de leite, agitação (f)

Русский (Russian)
сбивать масло

Español (Spanish)
n. - agitación
v. tr. - revolver, agitar
v. intr. - revolverse, agitarse

idioms:

• churn out    producir en gran escala

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - kärna, kärna sig, snurra, skumma
n. - smörkärna, mjölkkanna

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
搅乳器, 用搅乳器搅, 剧烈搅动, 用搅乳器搅制, 剧烈摇动, 用搅乳器搅乳, 翻腾

idioms:

• churn out    艰苦地做出

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 攪乳器
v. tr. - 用攪乳器攪, 劇烈攪動, 用攪乳器攪制, 劇烈搖動
v. intr. - 用攪乳器攪乳, 翻騰, 劇烈攪動

idioms:

• churn out    艱苦地做出

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 교유기, 동요, 큰 우유통
v. tr. - 교유기로 휘젓다, 파도를 일게 하다
v. intr. - 교유기를 돌리다, 파도 등이 거품지며 부딪히다

idioms:

• churn out    대량 생산하다, 기계적으로 연주하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 攪乳器, 大型ミルク缶, 異常に激しい活動
v. - かきまわす, 激しくかきまわす, むかつく, 沸きかえる, 動揺する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) أرغى, خض الحليب (الاسم) مزبدة, ممخضه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מחבצה, כד חלב‬
v. tr. - ‮הקציף גלים, ציער, זעזע, התסיס, נענע בחוזקה‬
v. intr. - ‮תסס (נוזל), סער‬

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