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
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
The production wears its metaphors lightly with a wink and a purr.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Virgie is pursued, in some of the play’s funniest moments, by a slithering cultist in shiny green gloves who purrs like a deadly kitty and moves like an Animaniac.
—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purr
Noun
In DuPont Circle near the Hilton, an otherwise quiet night was disrupted by the scream of sirens and purr of helicopters.
—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
The production wears its metaphors lightly with a wink and a purr.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Their first conversation is comically lopsided, and McKellen, purring his way through what is effectively a monologue, lays the groundwork for his most vividly inhabited and hilariously irascible performance in years.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
Virgie is pursued, in some of the play’s funniest moments, by a slithering cultist in shiny green gloves who purrs like a deadly kitty and moves like an Animaniac.
—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for purr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for purr
Noun
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Usually, the town’s namesake island, far down in downstate Illinois, is quiet enough to hear the hum of the barges droning along the Mississippi River.
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The background hum comes from X-ray emissions detected by Chandra.
Verb
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This week's quiz highlights cruise controversies, wedding whispers — and much more.
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Recalling a former boss who whispered intimate good-byes to his appliances when his restaurant closed, Luca says that the head chef didn’t receive similar farewells from his employees.
Verb
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Or at least squeezed in a solid couch nap with baseball/golf/soccer/primo history programming murmuring in the background.
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Yoon murmurs something into her ear.
Verb
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One day while sitting on the porch, Sarah appeared out of nowhere, running towards them, shouting for them.
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The crew and the two witnesses said one of the three men got out with a dog and then moved aggressively towards the crew while shouting racial slurs targeted at the photographer.
Verb
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Sometimes crickets chirped in my head.
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As Photay, Shornstein—a master synthesist and producer—flits between atmospheric house, dubby breakbeat workouts, and chirping electro funk, building his songs’ arrangements into strange, angular shapes.
Verb
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Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.
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And when he was questioned by a police officer about his decision to pronounce the boy dead while the child was still gasping for air, the doctor allegedly pulled rank.
Verb
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Trump has been willing to mouth these words.
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Or to sometimes instinctively mouth the words to Christmas carols the kids sang to him with tears or confusion in their eyes.
Verb
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While Blutinger was speaking, history professor Jonathan Roth attempted to take video of the protesters in the hallway and got into a physical altercation with a female student who tried to block him from doing so.
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The two spoke during a roundtable meeting in Thornton hosted by the America First Policy Institute.
Cite this Entry
“Purr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purr. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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