caw
noun
the harsh, grating cry of the crow, raven, etc.
caw
American
[kaw]
/ kɔ /
noun
-
caws
plural
verb (used without object)
-
caws,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cawed,
past participle, past
-
cawing
present participle
caw
1
British
/ kɔː /
noun
verb
CAW
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cawsimple
-
cawssimple
-
have cawedperfect
-
has cawedperfect
-
am cawingprogressive
-
are cawingprogressive
-
is cawingprogressive
-
have been cawingperfect progressive
-
has been cawingperfect progressive
Past
-
cawedsimple
-
had cawedperfect
-
was cawingprogressive
-
were cawingprogressive
-
had been cawingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of caw
First recorded in 1580–90; imitative
Explanation
To caw is to make a loud cry or call, like the sound a crow makes. There are few things spookier than hearing fifty crows caw in your yard at night. Many large birds caw as a way of communicating with each other, but crows and ravens are best known for making this particular cry. You can call the actual sound a caw as well. The word has been around since the 16th century, when it arose as an imitation of the noise itself.
Vocabulary lists containing caw
Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 3
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!
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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!
This Was Our Pact
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:
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
“My drawing with watercolor markers. A common visitor to my backyard, where they loudly caw each morning if I am late with the daily in-shell peanut allotment.”
From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2023
Meanwhile, those blessed crows sit and caw and take care of themselves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2021
Forty-seven miles west of Barry and Po’s yard, seagulls caw and circle the property that was once Pungo district hospital.
From The Guardian ● May 25, 2018
The occasional hollow caw of one raven to another.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
The site, which is currently almost completely demolished, is being renovated by social welfare group CAW Oost-Vlaanderen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The property currently belongs to CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, which provides welfare support in Dendermonde, a Flemish community of around 47,000 people.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Parts can contribute up to 70 percent, CAW economist Jim Stanford said.
From Reuters ● Sep. 28, 2012
“This strike is unfortunate -- not only for our members, but also for Air Canada passengers,” CAW President Ken Lewenza said in a statement.
From BusinessWeek ● Jun. 14, 2011
Mr. Tamba told her that he was the CAW chaperon going on the trip with us and that he would make sure that we returned to Sierra Leone at the end of the conference.
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
One 16th Century tale sees Saint Peter trick Welshmen with the call caws bobi - Welsh for roasted cheese - which he said reflected the dish's cultural ties to Wales.
From BBC ● Jun. 6, 2025
An accordionist spurred the crowd of about 150 to dance, clap or yelp bird caws in approval.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2025
Estrildid finch songs, Japanese quail calls, squirrel monkey caws and even the ultrasonic vocalizations of house mice were used for comparison in the study.
From Salon ● Jan. 8, 2024
As scientists collect terabytes on terabytes of whale clicks and crow caws, they're hoping that deep learning can find patterns and meaning in the sounds that human beings have always missed.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 19, 2023
They marched alongside the stream as it fattened into a river, alert all the while to the constant sound track of caws, shrieks, growls, and croaks.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
Dierks Bentley’s stomps on his porch in Colorado jiggled the camera and an off-camera crow cawed at him.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 5, 2020
A bird cawed and soared on a wind current; small feet pattered across the floor behind the window.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2016
Sitting in the air-conditioned cafeteria while the cool breezes beckoned and the sea gulls gently cawed a few yards beyond, Josh Weintraub, 18, a film student, looked up from the laptop he was working on.
From New York Times ● Aug. 11, 2014
Crows in nearby trees cawed incessantly as the sisters considered what has happened here since the EPA arrived.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2010
It cawed at her, then cocked its head downward, toward the water.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Johnson pledges his devotion to tropes like cawing ravens and thunderous rainstorms while giving his various red herrings silly nicknames like “the knife robot” and “the clangy clunk.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025
"These crows rise early and interrupt our sleep with their annoying squeals and cawing," Mombasa resident Victor Kimuli told the BBC.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2024
The other inhabitants are the region’s cawing, cooing, slithering animals, including the elusive moray eels Julija hunts.
From New York Times ● Jul. 7, 2022
The noises of the Puget Sound filled the air: ship horns blowing, gulls cawing, music playing.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 20, 2021
Beat Box started cawing, and the other boys joined in.
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
