purrverb [ I ]
uk/pɜː/us/pɝː/to make a quiet, continuous, soft sound:
The cat purred as I stroked its fur.
We could hear the sound of a lawnmower purring in the back garden.
A black limousine purred up (= drove up making a quiet, continuous, soft sound) outside the hotel.
[ + speech ] "I love it when you stroke my back," she purred (= said with pleasure).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Animal (non-human) sounds
- baa
- bark
- bellow
- caterwaul
- caw
- cluck
- coo
- growl
- hiss
- howling
- oink
- peep
- snarl
- squawk
- squee
- whimper
- whine
- yelp
- yip
- yowl
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purrnoun [ S ]
uk/pɜː/us/pɝː/a purring noise:
I stroked the cat and it gave a low purr.
I heard the gentle purr of an engine outside the house.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Animal (non-human) sounds
- baa
- bark
- bellow
- caterwaul
- caw
- cluck
- coo
- growl
- hiss
- howling
- oink
- peep
- snarl
- squawk
- squee
- whimper
- whine
- yelp
- yip
- yowl
See more results »