Meanings
verbpurr (third-person singular simple present purrs, present participle purring, simple past and past participle purred)
present singular third person purrs · participle present purring · participle past purred · past purred
- intransitiveTo make a vibrating sound in its throat when contented or in certain other conditions.
There was no one at home but a black cat, who was sitting quite content and purring on the hearth[.]
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 278 - intransitiveTo make a vibrating throaty sound, as from pleasure.
He purred like a kitten when she massaged his neck.
- intransitiveTo 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
nounpurr (plural purrs)
plural purrs
- The vibrating sound made by a cat in its throat when contented.
Instead, the tiger looked around, and gave a purr, and then a growl. What did that mean? The man could not tell. Then the tiger just flung upon the man some of the sand from the side of the hollow.
1918, Sarath Kumar Ghosh, The wonders of the jungle - Volume 2, page 113 - The 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. Then slowly, and as silently as possible, I drove the car back to camp.
1997, Susan Wood, A Fly in Amber, page 191
Synonyms & antonyms
verbindicate pleasure by purring; characteristic of cats
Similar
make vibrant sounds
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Arabic خَرْخَرَ, هَرْهَرَ
- خَرْخَرَ (ḵarḵara)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- هَرْهَرَ (harhara)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- خَرْخَرَة (ḵarḵara)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Basque urrumatu
- urrumatuof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Bulgarian мъркам, бръмча
- мъркам (mărkam)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- бръмча (brămča)of an engine: to make a low rumbling sound
- мъркане (mărkane)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- мър (măr)Translations
- мър-мър (măr-măr)Translations
Catalan roncar, ronronejar
- roncarof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- ronronejarof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Chinese Mandarin 發出喉音 /发出喉音, 咕嚕咕嚕叫 /咕噜咕噜叫
- 發出喉音 /发出喉音 (fāchū hóuyīn)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- 咕嚕咕嚕叫 /咕噜咕噜叫 (gūlǔgūlǔ jiào)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- 打呼嚕 /打呼噜 (dǎ hūlū)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- 咕嚕咕嚕聲 /咕噜咕噜声 (gūlǔgūlǔ shēng)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- 貓喘音 /猫喘音 (māochuǎnyīn)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- 貓喘鳴 /猫喘鸣 (māochuǎnmíng)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- 呼嚕 /呼噜 (hūlū)Translations
Czech příst
- přístof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Danish spinde
- spindeof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Dutch spinnen, spinnen
- spinnenof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- spinnenvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Esperanto ronroni
- ronroniof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Finnish kehrätä, kehrätä
- kehrätäof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- kehrätäto speak in a seductive manner
- kehrätäto make a vibrating throaty sound
- kehrätäof an engine: to make a low rumbling sound
- kehräysvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- kehrääminenvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
French ronronner, dire d'une voix suave et posée
- ronronnerof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- dire d'une voix suave et poséeto speak in a seductive manner
- ronronvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- ronronnementvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
German schnurren, Schnurren
- schnurrenof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- Schnurrenvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Greek γουργουρίζω, χουρχουρίζω
- γουργουρίζω (gourgourízo)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- χουρχουρίζω (chourchourízo)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- γουργούρισμα (gourgoúrisma)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Hindi घुरघुराना, घुरघुरकरना
- घुरघुराना (ghurghurānā)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- घुरघुरकरना (ghurghurkarnā)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- घुरघुराहट (ghurghurāhaṭ)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Hungarian dorombol, dorombol
- dorombolof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- dorombolof an engine: to make a low rumbling sound
- duruzsolof an engine: to make a low rumbling sound
- dorombolásvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Icelandic mala
- malaof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Irish bí ag crónán, crónán
- bí ag crónánof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- crónánvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Italian fare le fusa, fusa
- fare le fusaof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- fusavibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Japanese ごろごろいう, 鳴く
- ごろごろいう (gorogoro iu)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- 鳴く (naku)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- ゴロゴロ (gorogoro)Translations
Korean 가르랑거리다
- 가르랑거리다 (gareuranggeorida)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Latvian murrāt
- murrātof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Lithuanian murkti
- murktiof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Malay mendengkur, dengkur
- mendengkurof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- dengkurvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Norwegian male
- maleof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Persian خرخر کردن
- خرخر کردنof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Polish mruczeć, mruknąć
- mruczećof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- mruknąćof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- mruczećof an engine: to make a low rumbling sound
- mruknąćof an engine: to make a low rumbling sound
- mruczenievibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- mruTranslations
Portuguese ronronar, ronrom
- ronronarof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- ronromvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- rom-romvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Romanian toarce, tors
- toarceof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- torsvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Russian мурлы́кать, промурлы́кать
- мурлы́кать (murlýkatʹ)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- промурлы́кать (promurlýkatʹ)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- мурлы́канье (murlýkanʹje)vibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- мур (mur)Translations
- мур-мур (mur-mur)Translations
- мур-р-р (mur-r-r)Translations
Slovak priasť, pradenie
- priasťof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- pradenievibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Spanish ronronear, ronroneo
- ronronearof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- ronroneovibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- jirjirvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Swedish spinna, kurra
- spinnaof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- kurraof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Turkish mırlamak, gırlamak
- mırlamakof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- gırlamakof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- mırlamavibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- mırıltıvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- mırvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Ukrainian муркота́ти, муркоті́ти
- муркота́ти (murkotáty)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- муркоті́ти (murkotíty)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- воркота́ти (vorkotáty)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- воркоті́ти (vorkotíty)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- мур (mur)Translations
Vietnamese gừ gừ, rừ rừ
- gừ gừof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- rừ rừof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- khò khòof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Welsh canu grwndi, grwndi
- canu grwndiof a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- grwndivibrating sound made by a cat when contented
- crwthvibrating sound made by a cat when contented
Yiddish מורקען, מרוקען
- מורקען (murken)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
- מרוקען (mruken)of a cat, to make a vibrating sound in the throat
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with purr
yourwereherpermatureensurevoyeurreferoccurmirrorsircellularerpreferintercureurentrepreneurinsurestirerrcurobscurebur
All rhymes →Sounds the same
per (fern–fir–fur merger)pairparepear (all fair–fur merger)per (fern–fir–fur merger)pairparepear (all fair–fur merger)per (fern–fir–fur merger)pairparepear (all fair–fur merger)
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
purr. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purr
MLA
“purr.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purr. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “purr,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/purr.
Source: purr on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.