meow

[ mee-ou, myou ]
See synonyms for meow on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the characteristic sound a cat makes.

  2. a spiteful or catty remark.

verb (used without object)
  1. to make the sound of a cat.

  2. to make a spiteful or catty remark.

Origin of meow

1
First recorded in 1870–75; imitative
  • Sometimes mi·aou, mi·aow; mi·aul [mee-oul, mee-awl] /miˈaʊl, miˈɔl/ .

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

How to use meow in a sentence

  • And, directly, there were five Black Cats, spitting and miauling.

    The Pot of Gold | Mary E. Wilkins
  • For the person alluded to was indeed the infamous miauling cotton-spinner.

  • But there's no organization—it's only blind kittens miauling.

    The Landloper | Holman Day
  • Nay, it is no jest, Clara,” continued her brother; “for here is Lady Penelope miauling like a starved cat!

    St. Ronan's Well | Sir Walter Scott
  • And directly there were five Black Cats spitting and miauling.

British Dictionary definitions for meow

meow

miaou or miaow miaul (mɪˈaʊl, mjaʊl)

/ (mɪˈaʊ, mjaʊ) /


verb
  1. (intr) (of a cat) to make a characteristic crying sound

interjection
  1. an imitation of this sound

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