purr

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Together, these results highlight how domestication shaped the modern cat's voice, turning the meow into a flexible communication tool while leaving the purr as a steady marker of individuality.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

The glassy stare, the eyebrows tilted up like thirsty caterpillars, his purr as he lights a cigar.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025

Even the Pokémon noises are gently mellowed out in contrast to the coarser, more caterwauling sounds of the games; here the creatures purr, cry, coo and sigh like docile house pets.

From New York Times • Jan. 13, 2024

Scientists who subscribed to the active muscle contractions theory believed that when cats purr in response to being comfortable or, conversely, to feeling stressed, they do so as a voluntary muscle contraction.

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2023

Over the purr of the motor we heard a wind pump squeaking as it turned and a calf bawling and the katydids starting up in a grove of walnut trees.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck