Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use purr in a sentence

25 example sentences · verb, noun, interjection

Purr means to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented or in certain other conditions. Example: “He purred like a kitten when she massaged his neck.”

Examples of purr by meaning

verbTo say (something) in a throaty, seductive manner.

  • "This is Cindy," she purred again, flashing a smile of perfect white teeth surrounded by full red lips.2008, C. E. Osborne, Black Gold Death in the Sun, page 12

verbTo make a vibrating throaty sound, as from pleasure.

  • He purred like a kitten when she massaged his neck.

verbTo spend time enjoying and expressing pleasure (over something); to coo; to enthuse.

  • She would try it on and purr over it.1971, Donald J. Sobol, More Two-Minute Mysteries, page 36

verbTo make a low and consistent rumbling sound.

  • Beverly passed the city limits sign with the Porsche's motor purring contentedly after its two hundred and fifty-mile romp.2001, E. C. Craver, Last Reunion, page 159

nounThe vibrating sound made by a cat in its throat when contented.

  • Instead, the tiger looked around, and gave a purr, and then a growl.1918, Sarath Kumar Ghosh, The wonders of the jungle - Volume 2, page 113

nounA throaty, seductive sound of pleasure made by a person.

  • The trill of her purr echoed inside his mouth when he kissed her again.2006, Brenda Williamson, Wolverton Blood, page 53

nounThe low consistent rumble made by an engine at slow speed.

  • I sat still in the car and listened to the soft purr of the engine and my beating heart.1997, Susan Wood, A Fly in Amber, page 191

More sentences with purr

  • The old girl ain't as pretty as she once was, but she still purrs like a kitten and still gets out of her own way!From the entry girl
  • A well-timed engine with an unaggressive cam profile will purr like a kitten and is unlikely to backfire even upon sudden throttle changes.From the entry well-timed
  • Dad bundled Studmuffin into a purrito with the blue towel, but my familiar had stopped purring.2023, Maddy Savanna, Witchy Business Mysteries: Books 1-5. From the entry purrito
  • As I took the satiny-furred cat into my arms, his purring ratcheted up a couple of notches.2012, Marion Arnott, “Another One in from the Cold”, in Marie O'Regan, editor, The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women, Constable &…. From the entry furbaby
  • Without the fur and purr, we wouldn't be the cataholics that we are today.2000, Bob Walker & Frances Mooney, Crazy Cats, Andrews McMeel Publishing (2000), unnumbered page (acknowledgements). From the entry cataholic
  • When we're scratching her back she'll purr and go 'mrrp urk mrrp'.1997 April 7, David Arnett <darnett@interlog.com>, “Re: Funny story (very short!)”, in rec.pets.cats.anecdotes (Usenet), via Google…. From the entry mrrp
  • Flay or of himself save for the sudden cessation of their purring.1946, Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan. From the entry pullulation
  • The wavy he suns himself here—like a cat purring in his luxuriation.1920, D. H. Lawrence, Touch and Go, Act II, page 69. From the entry luxuriation
  • “I thought you were rotting away in prison,” she purred.2017, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Bad Dad, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN. From the entry rot away
  • Her voice was barely audible above the sound of steam cycles purring past and a boy selling hot pies.2014, Emma Jane Holloway, A Study in Silks. From the entry hot pie
  • She purrs into my ear and kisses me on my neck and keeps her lips pressed against my neck.2005, Manzur Murshed, Broken Milestones, Sarasota, Fla.: FLF Press, →ISBN, page 57. From the entry ludicrity
  • The cat murred and purred and tried to lick his face and David was filled with such happiness.1989, Dawn Borrelli, Kate, page 101. From the entry murr
  • If you like to eat spinach the word spinach is a purr word to you; it may make your mouth water.1969, Jay Cline, Voices in literature, language, and composition, page 204. From the entry snarl word
  • She sat with a Mona Lisan smile, purring inaudibly and savoring the spicy future that had opened for them.1936 February 22, Rupert Hughes, “Section 213”, in The Commercial Appeal, volume CXXXII, number 53, Memphis, Tenn., page 13. From the entry Mona Lisan
  • If the beautiful body of the car isn't enough to catch your attention, the purr of the engine will give you a cargasm.2017, Glenna Maynard, Dirty Truth. From the entry cargasm
  • The stopping, restarting, swearing and routine self-deprecation ("I'm in trouble with the vicar – eternal trouble," quips Martin) is the kind of carry-on that has fans purring with pleasure.2011 November 27, Kitty Empire, The Observer. From the entry carry-on
  • Pearlie has managed to acquire a phone that purrs, but doesn’t ring; she has found a breed of barkless dog; she censors the newspapers by cutting out upsetting articles.2008 May 11, Maggie Scarf, “The Fog of Love”, in New York Times. From the entry barkless
  • Racette made sounds that were strikingly darker: sometimes in a contraltolike belt, alternating between various purrs and growls, and at selected moments opening up fully in operalike climaxes.2007 November 10, Bernard Holland, “An Operatic Voice Retuned for Cabaret”, in New York Times. From the entry operalike

Meaning of purr

  1. verb To make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented or in certain other conditions.
  2. verb To say (something) in a throaty, seductive manner.
  3. verb To make a vibrating throaty sound, as from pleasure.

Full definition of purr

Questions about purr in a sentence

How do you use purr in a sentence?
Purr is used as a verb, noun and interjection. For example: “He purred like a kitten when she massaged his neck.”
What is a short sentence with purr?
“She would try it on and purr over it.”
What does purr mean?
Purr means to make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented or in certain other conditions.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: purr (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use purr in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/purr. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.