caterwaul

[ kat-er-wawl ]
See synonyms for: caterwaulcaterwauledcaterwauling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time.

  2. to utter a similar sound; howl or screech.

  1. to quarrel like cats.

nounAlso cat·er·waul·ing.
  1. the cry of a cat in rutting time.

  2. any similar sound.

Origin of caterwaul

1
1350–1400; Middle English cater(wawen) (equivalent to cater tomcat (<Middle Dutch ) + wawen to howl, Old English wāwan to blow, said of the wind) + waul, variant of wail

Other words for caterwaul

Other words from caterwaul

  • cat·er·waul·er, noun

Words Nearby caterwaul

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use caterwaul in a sentence

  • At once she began to meouw and caterwaul with all her might.

    Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks | William Elliot Griffis
  • It reached the edge of the pool, spread out all its legs with a caterwaul of despair, and went headlong into the water.

    Charlie to the Rescue | R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for caterwaul

caterwaul

/ (ˈkætəˌwɔːl) /


verb(intr)
  1. to make a yowling noise, as a cat on heat

noun
  1. a shriek or yell made by or sounding like a cat on heat

Origin of caterwaul

1
C14: of imitative origin

Derived forms of caterwaul

  • caterwauler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012