burr 1 of 2

noun

ˈbər How to pronounce burr (audio)
Definition of burrnext
as in hum
a monotonous sound like that of an insect in motion heard the burr of a distant engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

burr

2 of 2

verb

as in to hum
to fly, turn, or move rapidly with a fluttering or vibratory sound the pitch burred past the batter's ear

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example 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 burr
Noun
At another plant in Singapore, Polen says, BD had been discarding about 200 needles each shift, for 50 years, because they’d get clogged in the sandblasting process used to remove metal burrs. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 22 May 2026 Entry-level burr grinders run $30 to $150 and pay for themselves within weeks. — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026 Burr grinders crush coffee beans evenly between two steel or ceramic burrs. — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 May 2026 Naturalists note the golf course’s rolling hills host burr trees, cross country skiing trails, coyote paths and other scenic draws. — Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 16 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for burr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burr
  1. hum
  2. buzz
  3. purr
  4. zip
  5. rustle
  6. whisper
Noun
  • The city itself felt largely quiet with the hum of so many electric vehicles.
    — Stephy Chung, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There’s a steady hum of excitement in New York City, where the Knicks clinched the NBA championship this past summer.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of hum
Verb
  • On this cloudy Saturday morning in September, Cape Town's College of Magic is buzzing with energy as dozens of students are competing in the annual junior magic contest.
    — Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Fielder and Oppenheim’s word-of-mouth sensation has taken pop culture by storm, earning millions at the box office, winning near-universal critical praise and generating a ton of press coverage, as well as Oscar buzz.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of buzz
Noun
  • Highlights and experiences It is always a special event stepping out of Venice’s airport onto a pontoon and a polished mahogany water taxi that drops you off canalside near your hotel, after a purr through the Grand Canal.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Kimie Smothermon begins each day greeted by the squeals, chirps and purrs of nearly 400 guinea pigs.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of purr
Verb
  • Outside the old red-brick Victorian mansion, framed by palm trees, two teenage boys zip around the car park on unicycles.
    — Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • On fourth-and-4, Geno Smith completed a short pass to Isaiah Davis, who zipped downfield 41 yards to the Dolphins 18.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of zip
Noun
  • The full textile experience, after all, is multisensory—visual, tactile, and sometimes auditory (think of taffeta’s distinctive rustle).
    — Leslie Camhi, Vogue, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Still, Polk’s family found peace there, watching big owls swoop down and falling asleep to the rustle of two acres of trees.
    — Austyn Gaffney, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of rustle
Noun
  • The landscape flowed in ridges and mountains of faded yellow and whisper pink, where welwitschia–large, low-lying plants that live to be hundreds of years old–sprawled like relics from a Dune film set.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
  • SteelSeries Gaming Keyboard Deal Keep your keystrokes whisper-quiet and lightning-fast using the SteelSeries Apex 3 TKL Gaming Keyboard.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of whisper

Browse Nearby Words

burps
burr
burred
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Burr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burr. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All