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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to whisper
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of purr
Bee Staff
february 6, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Geography and tragedy unite them, as does the purr of comfort inherent in their cooking.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Scientists may have finally solved the mystery of how cats purr.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purr
Noun
In previous years, the Puppy Bowl has featured a halftime purr-formance with shelter kittens, but there’s no word on whether a bunny will headline this year.
—Bee Staff
february 6, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Geography and tragedy unite them, as does the purr of comfort inherent in their cooking.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
Two years later, a long-haired white Persian appeared in From Russia With Love, purring from the lap of the Bond villain Blofeld.
—Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025
Scientists may have finally solved the mystery of how cats purr.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purr
Noun
-
Cooked in a wood-burning oven, the chicken hums with a gentle smokiness and a complex, fruity chile flavor that’s warm, rounded and highly addictive.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
While some prefer the lo-fi hum of a record player, others like the crisp sound of a compact disc.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 73-year-old Weinstein kept his eyes trained on Mann throughout her Tuesday testimony, intermittently whispering to his attorney, Teny Geragos.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Peasants whisper about monsters in the forest, and in the interlude between the wars, Lajos gazes at a house that is burning down and has a premonition of the world-historical destruction to come.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
True to form, the Boards of Canada resurrection has murmured to life so quietly that only the most obsessive of code breakers twigged it early on.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The remark drew a mix of gasps, murmurs and laughs from others in the room.—
Emily Chang,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
At one point, the crew shot a scene in which Whalen’s character joins a bar fight, shouting invectives at a hapless extra before pummelling him to the ground.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
One final command was shouted by the officer.—
Brian Day,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Swallows chirping from a newspaper nest above a doorway.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The sound of cars has disappeared in the wealthy El Vedado neighborhood, where the soundscape of chirping birds has reemerged.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Natural Wonders the Whole Family Will Love Mount Rainier National Park in Washington is the kind of place that makes kids gasp.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Within a few weeks of starting the treatments, O’Neal was walking without gasping and talking without pausing to gobble air.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both governments still mouth the old slogans, by rote.—
Quico Toro,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Or to sometimes instinctively mouth the words to Christmas carols the kids sang to him with tears or confusion in their eyes.—
Scott Maxwell,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Navarro's goal with the podcast is to both interview interesting subjects and break down news items without the typical restrictions of cable or broadcast TV, where a cohost or panelist may only get a fraction of a 7 minute segment to speak.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
Jim Auster, a golfer who lives in the neighborhood nearby, spoke against the housing overlay changes as a representative of Save Newport Beach Golf Course, the same group that rallied against the proposal for the wave pool on an adjacent portion of the golf course.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Purr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purr. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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