prowl

[proul]
verb (used without object)
1.
to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, something to steal, etc.
verb (used with object)
2.
to rove over or through in search of what may be found: The cat prowled the alleys in search of food.
noun
3.
act of prowling.
4.
on the prowl, in the act of prowling; searching stealthily: The cat is on the prowl for mice.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English prollen < ?

prowl·ing·ly, adverb
un·prowl·ing, adjective


1. roam. See lurk.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
prowl (praʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb (when intr, often foll by around or about)
1.  to move stealthily around (a place) as if in search of prey or plunder
 
n
2.  the act of prowling
3.  on the prowl
 a.  moving around stealthily
 b.  zealously pursuing members of the opposite sex
 
[C14 prollen, of unknown origin]
 
'prowler
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Prowl is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to bark; yelp.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

prowl
late 14c., prollen, "move about in search of something," of unknown origin, with no known cognates. Meaning "go stealthily in search of prey" is first recorded 1580s. The noun, in on the prowl, is attested from 1803. Prowler is attested from 1519.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
They prowl subway platforms and the parks outside the stations.
There is a weird feeling among some couples that single people are on the prowl.
With bye weeks starting, fantasy teams are on the prowl for help at wide
  receiver.
Wild cats, including leopards and lynxes, still prowl the mountainsides.
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