TikTok users have added “purr” to their slang lexicon.
Fortunately, the meaning isn’t so far removed from the word’s origins. The #purr hashtag currently has over 143 million views on TikTok, but it’s also commonly used on other platforms like Twitter by Black users.
What does “purr” mean on TikTok?
Much like when a feline purrs to signal its happiness or excitement, “purr” is used to express approval. But there’s a reason why it’s so popular now.
Rolling Ray popularized “purr” on social media.
Urban Dictionary credited the slang definition of “purr” to Rolling Ray, defining the term as “how bad b****es say period aka Miss Rolling Ray, the trendsetter.”
Rolling Ray is an LGBTQIA+ influencer and wheelchair user, famous for appearing on MTV’s Catfish.
When Ray is feeling himself (or something else), he is known to acknowledge it with a simple “purr.”
The sound used on TikTok in many “purr” videos is called “Rolling Ray Twitter voice awww puuurrr.” The audio comes from a voice Tweet that Ray sent in June 2020.
Some examples of “purr” on TikTok
“Commenting on my friend’s Instagram pic as if I never seen it before even though I picked the photo and caption,” user @me_heavenli captioned her “purr” video.
User @wakandasfinnest1, meanwhile, made a video of her “purr” fever.
“Me texting purr to my friends every two seconds,” she wrote in the caption. “I know they’re tired of seeing it.”
Users all agreed that they have seen an uptick in their “purr” usage.
“I know my sister is tired of me saying it,” one person wrote.
“This is all I say now,” another commented.
“I love saying it so much. Purrr,” a third person said.
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