as in hum
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion
listened to the reassuring purr of the car engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to whisper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of purr
Kansas City Star, 28 May 2024
One speaks meow and purr; the others stand tall in their pots and stretch upwards.
—Bulletin Board, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
PCMAG, 29 July 2024
The effect feels similar to a cat purring on your chest.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for purr 
Noun
But also the reassuring purr of the fax machine, which at some point in the 1990s began to stutter out sheets of paper with algebraic formulae and solutions that more talented classmates had found for homework.
—Kansas City Star, 28 May 2024
One speaks meow and purr; the others stand tall in their pots and stretch upwards.
—Bulletin Board, Twin Cities, 26 May 2024
Verb
My phone finally emitted a purring sound—the notification that the tracker was out of the safe zone.
—PCMAG, 29 July 2024
The effect feels similar to a cat purring on your chest.
—Josh Condon, Robb Report, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for purr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purr
Verb
-
Tree limbs whispered in the night wind as if urging them on.Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
-
Luckily, just in time, Nick whispers the one word in the (British) English language that instantly turns back the clock.Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Baraka took the stage, in a pink shirt and white sneakers, and delivered an address that kept the room murmuring and chuckling for more than an hour.Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024
-
My Method Actor scatters luminous beads of sound design into a writhing body of hooks and vocal lines—sometimes murmured, others chanted, all interspersed with that trademark Yanya flourish that sounds like a sigh rising to a yelp.Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Sep. 2024
Verb
-
Encounters with the opposing party erupted in shouting and worse.Julia Prodis Sulek, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
-
In footage shared by the outlet, King Felipe, 56, was shown being guided through the streets as hundreds of people shouted heckles and threw objects in his direction.Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Because, really, who doesn't love digging into a favorite dish while feeling the breeze against their cheek, the birds chirping, and the grass under their toes?Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2024
-
For nearly an hour, there were no sounds—no laughs, no cricket chirps, no ticking of a clock.Jack Handey, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The nearly 60,000-strong crowd gasped collectively as Martin momentarily disappeared.Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Inside the courtroom at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Colombo’s mother, Tonya Colombo, gasped as the verdict was read.Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Fike doesn’t mouth along to the songs, make distinct markers of when one ends and another begins, or even mention the titles of any of them.Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024
-
Also present was Dmitri Shostakovich, who had come to New York at Stalin’s behest, in order to mouth propaganda at the Cultural and Scientific Conference for World Peace.Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
-
Mikko Rantanen spoke bluntly about Nichushkin, saying the quiet part out loud.Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024
-
Local leaders were hesitant to speak at length about the congresswoman, wary of the perception that they would be seen as pressuring a reluctant candidate into running — which is how former Rep. Ron Dellums’ mayoral tenure is often remembered.Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Sanders needs space for his staff, his inner circle, space to breathe.Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 19 Nov. 2024
-
Once inside the trauma bay, Derek had stopped breathing.Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near purr
Cite this Entry
“Purr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purr. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share