verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of caterwaul
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
Explanation
A caterwaul is a yowl, shriek, or loud cry. If you've ever heard two cats fighting, you know what a caterwaul sounds like. While a caterwaul can be made by a person, it's more likely the wailing sound that a distressed or fighting animal makes. To make this sound is to caterwaul — it's both a noun and verb. Cats are, in fact, the animal best known to caterwaul, and the word is believed to come from the German katerwaulen, "cry like a cat," or possibly the Middle Dutch cater, "tomcat," and Middle English waul, "yowl."
Vocabulary lists containing caterwaul
Into the Wild
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Twelfth Night
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Novel Study: The Great Gatsby, Chapters 1–6
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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.
Amid all the caterwaul of Washington comes this calm message:
From Washington Times ● Aug. 9, 2018
They’re not kissin’ cousins, but they caterwaul some of the same tunes in different keys.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2017
His keening caterwaul sounds as if he had flicked the ejector switch but forgotten to undo his seat belt.
From The New Yorker ● Nov. 16, 2015
What prevented “Sir Simpleton” from a similar fate was Mr. Moran, hammering at a central riff; his bond with Mr. akLaff held firm, and the saxophonists were free to stutter-step and caterwaul around them.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2014
“I wonder why they make that caterwaul noise, all screechy and harsh.”
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
