Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for growl on Thesaurus.com verb (used without object) to utter a deep guttural sound of anger or hostility: The dog growled at the mail carrier. to murmur or complain angrily; grumble. to rumble: The thunder growled. Jazz to use flutter-tonguing in playing a wind instrument. Show More
the act or sound of growling. Jazz the technique of flutter-tonguing. Show More
Origin of growl 1350–1400; Middle English groule to rumble (said of the bowels); cognate with German grollen
Related forms growl·ing·ly , adverb un·der·growl , noun un·growl·ing , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for growl moan ,
grunt ,
howl ,
rumble ,
bellow ,
roar ,
thunder ,
grumble ,
snarl ,
bark ,
roll ,
gnarl ,
gnarr Examples from the Web for growl Contemporary Examples of growl Students moan and growl and shriek and yawp, as if exorcising demons in a ritualistic ceremony.
She smiles, which sounds like a small thing, but a lot of Republicans growl .
When she moves in toward him, he turns his back with a growl .
“A growl and a shake,” the attorney, Jasper Monti, tells The Daily Beast.
Historical Examples of growl The voice, too, when he spoke, was as deep and as fierce as the growl of a beast of prey.
The head-master bowed to the bishop, and walked away, leaving Ketch on the growl .
They barely raised their heads to growl , and did not answer Pierre's questions.
Beyond a growl or a grunt, the dog took its punishment silently.
This growl he could not suppress; nor did the man-animal resent it by giving him a blow on the head.
British Dictionary definitions for growl (of animals, esp when hostile) to utter (sounds) in a low inarticulate manner the dog growled at us to utter (words) in a gruff or angry manner he growled an apology (intr) to make sounds suggestive of an animal growling the thunder growled around the lake Show More
the act or sound of growling jazz an effect resembling a growl, produced at the back of the throat when playing a wind instrument Show More
Derived Forms growlingly , adverb Word Origin for growl C18: from earlier grolle, from Old French grouller to grumble
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for growl v. 1660s, from Middle English grollen "to rumble, growl" (early 15c.), from Old French grouler "to rumble," said to be from Frankish; probably ultimately of imitative origin. Related: Growled ; growling . The noun is 1727, from the verb.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
