caw

[ kaw ]
See synonyms for caw on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the harsh, grating cry of the crow, raven, etc.

verb (used without object)
  1. to utter this cry or a similar sound.

Origin of caw

1
First recorded in 1580–90; imitative

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

How to use caw in a sentence

  • When he saw the blank expression on Billy Junior's face, he cawed to show him where he was.

    Billy Whiskers' Adventures | Frances Trego Montgomery
  • Rooks cawed out in the playing-fields, and close under the window there was the sound of delightful, good-tempered laughter.

    The Longest Journey | E. M. Forster
  • The rooks, those staunch adherents to old family abodes, still hovered and cawed about their hereditary nests.

  • Some noisy fish crows cawed at them while flying over, their sharp eyes discovering the creeping canoes.

  • Off in the checkered shadows of the forest a crow cawed derisively.

    Diane of the Green Van | Leona Dalrymple

British Dictionary definitions for caw (1 of 2)

caw

/ (kɔː) /


noun
  1. the cry of a crow, rook, or raven

verb
  1. (intr) to make this cry

Origin of caw

1
C16: of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for CAW (2 of 2)

CAW

abbreviation for
  1. Canadian Auto Workers (trade union)

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