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Synonyms

caw

American  
[kaw] / kɔ /

noun

  1. the harsh, grating cry of the crow, raven, etc.

verb (used without object)

  1. to utter this cry or a similar sound.

caw 1 British  
/ kɔː /

noun

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

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to make this cry

"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
CAW 2 British  

abbreviation

  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

Etymology

Origin of caw

First recorded in 1580–90; imitative

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.

Meyers was greeted each morning by a green parrot named Pesto, who became the shop’s mascot and would caw, “Hellllow!”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2025

Carrion crows can count out loud, effectively calling “one, two, three” as they caw, researchers report today in Science.

From Science Magazine • May 22, 2024

So I resolve to let everyone squawk and caw until they get bored, or become distracted, or fall asleep, or cheer up.

From New York Times • Dec. 24, 2021

It’s in the caw of the crow above that the Ngarigo, the Indigenous people of the Snowy Mountains, hear the voices of ancestors.

From The Guardian • Apr. 13, 2019

Even Bongo’s quietest caw is a bit on the harsh side.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate

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.