Churn (business)

Etymology

From Old English "cyrin," the vessel in which cream was agitated into butter, and by extension the violent stirring itself. The metaphor is churning motion — customers cycling in and out — turned into a business metric. What was once dairy labor is now a subscription dashboard’s dread.

noun · /churn/
The rate at which customers or users stop using a product over a period.
What it names
It puts a number on leakage, letting a business see whether it’s filling a bucket faster than it drains.
Example
They celebrated signups for months before noticing that churn was quietly canceling out every gain.
Related idea
Churn measures customers leaving; attrition usually names employees leaving. A related trap is chasing new signups while ignoring churn — a leaky bucket no amount of pouring can fill.
verb · /churn/
To stir or agitate something violently, or to move about turbulently.
What it names
beating cream into butter, or a stomach turning with unease.
Example
The propeller churned the water white; his stomach churned with dread.
Related idea
The literal agitation behind the business metaphor of constant turnover.