purring

verb

present participle of purr
as in whispering

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purring
  1. whispering
  2. chirping
  3. murmuring
  4. shouting
  5. gasping
  6. breathing
  7. speaking
  8. drawling
Verb
  • As the drama of the mistrial motion unfolded, the crowd in the courtroom began whispering.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Ranchers began whispering about eminent domain, turning a debate over federal policy into something deeply personal.
    — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of whispering
Verb
  • According to several people seated near Kanter Freedom, Alter said the former NBA player began chirping at Cloud throughout the quarter.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Palm trees abound; a perpetual breeze and a soundtrack of chirping birds complement the luscious grounds.
    — Baz Dreisinger, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of chirping
Verb
  • Or at least squeezed in a solid couch nap with baseball/golf/soccer/primo history programming murmuring in the background.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 22 June 2026
  • Alejo listens carefully, occasionally offering a tissue or murmuring consolations.
    — Megan Greenwell, Bloomberg, 9 June 2026
Definition of murmuring
Verb
  • Or perhaps, in this case, at roughly 190 mph with the throttle buried and someone shouting into a radio.
    — Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Video showed locals draped in Spanish flags, shouting anti-migrant slogans, and singing Spanish songs, torching the camp and throwing migrants’ belongings in the Mediterranean or into bonfires.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of shouting
Verb
  • The power outages caused by storms that roared through the region nearly two weeks ago have one resident of this Rust Belt city literally gasping for air.
    — Selina Guevara, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Loud, frequent snoring paired with gasping, choking or pauses in breathing may point to obstructive sleep apnea.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of gasping
Verb
  • At one point, he was charged in the death of a woman who stopped breathing during one of his ceremonies.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The baby was born with a heartbeat but was not breathing, the couple told the Atlantic, and did not survive.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of breathing
Verb
  • Billie is, broadly speaking, the most desperate character on Adults.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Sheriff Rosie Cordero Stutz said many of the board members were elderly, primarily Spanish-speaking volunteers who investigators believe did not realize what was happening.
    — Chelsea Jones, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of speaking
Verb
  • His drawling, winking charm is front and center, and his attraction to our heroine feels both genuine and even quite protective, but his violent streak is so blasé as to be unnerving.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 June 2026
  • Daniel Craig stars as Benoit Blanc, a Southern-drawling Hercule Poirot-style private detective who helps a wealthy family uncover the truth behind the death of their beloved patriarch (Christopher Plummer).
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of drawling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

purred
purring
purrs
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purring. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All