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
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Recent Examples of purr
Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Evan Engram produces the franchise’s best season by a tight end since Julius Thomas in 2013 and 2014.
Future Hall of Famer Drew Brees made Payton’s offenses purr in New Orleans.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2025
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
The most understated player on this list, Fabian Ruiz is another midfielder who makes PSG purr.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purr
Noun
Best Dice Game For a purr-fectly good time with friends, roll the dice and let the games begin.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Evan Engram produces the franchise’s best season by a tight end since Julius Thomas in 2013 and 2014.
Future Hall of Famer Drew Brees made Payton’s offenses purr in New Orleans.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
So Hicks would hop in his truck and turn the ignition, coating Dobbins’ cuts in the soft glow of purring Ford F-150 headlights.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
The most understated player on this list, Fabian Ruiz is another midfielder who makes PSG purr.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for purr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purr
Noun
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The Silver Hugo for Best Sound goes to SOUND OF FALLING for its ability to echo, in both its silences and thunders, the constant hum of secrets passed from one generation to the next in the apparent domestic quiet that both conceals and reveals.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
24 Oct. 2025
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In an instant, the ordinary rhythms of their lives — laughter, errands, the hum of home — were shattered.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Just hearing this phrase whispered on the other end of the phone is enough to send a chill up your spine.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
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Light incense and whisper the names of those who came before you.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Two students have unrolled what looks like an incomplete treasure map, and lean over it with magnifying glasses, murmuring to one another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
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For example, a heart murmur or crackling lungs often signify an issue is present.—
Joshua Hutcheson,
The Conversation,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hyman shared another video of herself shouting about the incident in what appeared to be a cafe attached to the gym.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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Video from the scene shows an agent wrestling a suspect to the ground and striking him multiple times as bystanders shouted profanity and tried to intervene, with one person attempting to pull an agent away.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Her Cornish Rex cat, Rabbit, is sprawled out on the floor, unconcerned by the two birds (Chicken and Charlie) chirping from an adjacent office or a colleague’s gray-haired cat next door, who seems to be causing a stir.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
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Before the Buccaneers ran out of the tunnel at Lumen Field, Mayfield and his teammates were chirped by some Seattle fans.—
Matt Audilet,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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When visitors enter and see the massive aircraft, slightly tilted to give the illusion of takeoff and framed by floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Simi Valley hills, their first reaction is to gasp, Trulio said.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
1 Nov. 2025
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Occasionally a voice would gasp at the window.—
Ryan Knighton,
AFAR Media,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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True and Dream then appeared in the same way, with True expertly flipping her sunglasses onto her face in time to the music, before the trio joined Kardashian to mouth the lyrics.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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As in the never-ending parade of ostensibly Christian exorcism movies, religious belief here seems like a superficial excuse for a stock array of supernatural hoodoo — no matter how many times Chalik’s Abuyya pauses the action to mouth some healing doctrine.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Diane Brady is an award-winning business journalist and author who has interviewed newsmakers worldwide and often speaks about the global business landscape.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
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Another Dodger Japanese pitching star, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was the series' MVP after winning three games, also spoke in English.—
Steve Futterman,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Purr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purr. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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