catcall
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
catcallsimple
-
catcallssimple
-
have catcalledperfect
-
has catcalledperfect
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am catcallingprogressive
-
are catcallingprogressive
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is catcallingprogressive
-
have been catcallingperfect progressive
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has been catcallingperfect progressive
Past
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catcalledsimple
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had catcalledperfect
-
was catcallingprogressive
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were catcallingprogressive
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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
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Flowers for Algernon
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The Magician's Nephew
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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
Men catcall her on the street; she breaks down, in one instance, and screams.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 11, 2019
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
To wit, a man catcalls her as she walks past and she yells, “I object!”
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
With the Madrid fans' catcalls still ringing in his ears, Laporta provided his own answer.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2024
When the catcalls and chants rain down on Bregman or Altuve, it’s not because Philadelphia has some special, specific venom toward either of them.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2022
“What we will make sure is that, over the medium-term, the debt is falling,” she added to a chorus of catcalls from the opposition.
From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 2022
Although the girls wear jeans, denoting freedom, they aren’t as noisy as they used to be; there are no chants, no catcalls.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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
He was hooted and catcalled until he was compelled to withdraw from the Convention.
From The Man in Gray by Dixon, Thomas
“They were catcalling and whistling, and the crew all started doing versions of the dance. It sparked a lot of joy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
Female police officers are posing as runners as part of a crackdown on strangers catcalling women out exercising in Bradford.
From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2024
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
Wolf-whistling, catcalling and staring persistently will be criminalised in England under plans backed by Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 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
Definitions 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.
