purring

verb

present participle of purr
as in whispering

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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
  • There was Katlin’s daughter, who had stolen my microphone and was now whispering something into it.
    — Ethan Brooks, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
  • Shein filed confidentially with the SEC in November 2023, with bankers whispering valuations as high as $90 billion, and profits that the Financial Times reported had doubled past $2 billion.
    — Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of whispering
Verb
  • Even though the first game sold out on a rainy night, on the second night, a clear summer evening with cicadas chirping beneath a starry sky, the stadium was only two-thirds full.
    — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Field recordings—from the preparation of street food to birds chirping, taken mostly in public spaces around Doha—are a kind of sonic memory of a place that is rapidly changing.
    — Shanti Escalante-De Mattei, ARTnews.com, 3 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
  • When the surveillance footage resumes about an hour later, a man can be heard shouting, but the words are unintelligible, and a vehicle horn sounds.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
  • But don’t expect those insiders to be put into partisan panels for a few minutes of shouting.
    — Mark Joyella, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of shouting
Verb
  • Police say Coffer was pulled to safety by his boat partner, who told police Simpson fled the scene and the boy was gasping for air.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Sharing a video of the moment, Kotb is seen turning a corner in her house and gasping in shock as she’s confronted with a rainbow fringe curtain in the entrance to her living room.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of gasping
Verb
  • The party establishment is breathing a sign of relief that democratic socialist Francesca Hong, who led the pre-election polls by double-digits, will not be topping their ticket.
    — Karen Tumulty, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Lung inflammation makes breathing tougher and coughing and wheezing more frequent.
    — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of breathing
Verb
  • Their speaking engagements and social media campaigns have sustained public attention even as international media coverage has faded.
    — Rina Amiri, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
  • That was evident in speaking with Indian exhibitors across the trade show.
    — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 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.

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purred
purring
purrs
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Cite this Entry

“Purring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purring. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on purring

Nglish: Translation of purring for Spanish Speakers

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