catcall
Americannoun
-
catcalls
plural
verb (used without object)
-
catcalls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
catcalled,
past participle, past
-
catcalling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
catcalls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
catcalled,
past participle, past
-
catcalling
present participle
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
catcallsimple
-
catcallssimple
-
have catcalledperfect
-
has catcalledperfect
-
am catcallingprogressive
-
are catcallingprogressive
-
is catcallingprogressive
-
have been catcallingperfect progressive
-
has been catcallingperfect progressive
Past
-
catcalledsimple
-
had catcalledperfect
-
was catcallingprogressive
-
were catcallingprogressive
-
had been catcallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of catcall
First recorded in 1650–60; cat ( def. ) + call
Explanation
Boooo! Hisss! Come on ref! Are you blind?! Those are just a few family-friendly catcalls, or rowdy cries of disapproval. Next time you're stuck watching a terrible movie, don't throw rotten tomatoes at the screen. Try a catcall instead. The impassioned taunts and disapproving shouts are already a staple at sporting events across the globe. They're also a favorite among construction workers, who like to whistle at and catcall the ladies walking by. Which, by the way, is totally inappropriate.
Vocabulary lists containing catcall
Our Town
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Flowers for Algernon
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Magician's Nephew
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Every time I would skate, people would catcall us or yell at us to do a kickflip,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Tuberville smiles at what amounts to an Alabama catcall, but he doesn’t engage.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 27, 2020
About 6,000 people jammed the Civic Auditorium to cheer, boo, catcall and heckle.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2020
While I usually give catcallers a piece of my mind, this didn’t feel like a normal catcall and it just didn’t feel appropriate to go off on him.
From Slate ● Jun. 28, 2018
These were cynical times, but no one risked a catcall.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
But now she says she simply lets it out: "If someone catcalls me in the street, I rage. I don't care."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
To wit, a man catcalls her as she walks past and she yells, “I object!”
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
“Never,” reported one of Paris’s better literary reviews, “has a painting excited so much laughter, mockery, and catcalls as this ‘Olympia.’”
From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2023
“Shame,” they chanted, and their catcalls — “Disgrace,” “What about George Santos?” — caused a frustrated McCarthy to repeatedly start and stop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
There were no catcalls yet, no jeering; evidently neither Ellen nor the aunt suspected that anything was wrong.
From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner
That’s because unlike her experience with men, a bear has never harassed her, catcalled her, followed her, thrown a bottle at her or otherwise made her feel unsafe.
From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2024
I don't think the show has a goal of getting people excited about being catcalled as we know how frustrating, annoying and dangerous that could be.
From Salon ● Jul. 16, 2023
In Memphis on Saturday, protesters chanting, "Whose streets? Our streets!" angrily catcalled a police car that was monitoring the march, with several making obscene gestures.
From Reuters ● Jan. 28, 2023
"I have never been catcalled, but my friends have been and it isn't very nice," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2018
They whined it, they catcalled it, they shrieked it in falsetto imitation of Clarence's mother.
From Fanny Herself by Edna Ferber
Police say harassment is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or is inappropriate, such as staring, constant questioning or catcalling.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2025
Britain’s government said Friday that it was backing legislation to criminalize public sexual harassment, joining a handful of countries that have made specific offenses such as catcalling punishable by law.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2022
"A lot of the time, especially with catcalling, lads will believe that that behaviour is completely acceptable, because we are accepting that behaviour by not calling out."
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2022
Children screaming at the nearby playground, teens catcalling, a heated family argument — all of it is drowned out by the dulcet tones of a song called “Akal” by White Sun.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
“Brocklehurst, Mandy” went to Ravenclaw too, but “Brown, Lavender” became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron’s twin brothers catcalling.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
