Definition of "purr" [purr]

• The soft vibrant sound made by a cat. (noun)
• A sound similar to that made by a cat: the purr of an engine. (noun)
• To make or utter a soft vibrant sound: The cat purred. The sewing machine purred. (verb-intransitive)
• To express by a soft vibrant sound. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "* purr purr* Sounded like a cement machine with all his purring."
• "A lion's purr is quite something, and for a moment Charlie so enjoyed the heavy, rhythmic reverberations through his feet that he didn't want to move."
• "That rumbling sound that we call a purr is clearly meant to be communication, since cats only purr in the company of living things, such as other cats, people, and other pets."