growl

[ groul ]

/ graʊl /

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See synonyms for: growl / growled / growling 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.

verb (used with object)

to express by growling.

noun

the act or sound of growling.

Jazz. the technique of flutter-tonguing.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of growl

1350–1400; Middle English groule to rumble (said of the bowels); cognate with German grollen

synonym study for growl

2. See complain.

OTHER WORDS FROM growl

growl·ing·ly, adverbun·der·growl, nounun·growl·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use growl in a sentence

I moved my head one inch off the pillow to find out which it was, and something growled.
The Stacks: Pete Dexter on What It’s Like to Lose the Knack of Having Fun|Pete Dexter|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The singer Tom Jones growled hits like “Delilah” with shirts sweatily slashed to the navel.
Jude Law and the Great Male ‘He-Vage’ Crisis|Tim Teeman|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He once growled at the cat over a frozen pea that fell in the kitchen,” Mellon says.
Meet Butters, the Christmas Dog Model|Michael Daly|December 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“The Likud is not a political garbage can,” Likud MK Danny Danon growled.
Kadima Marches Backwards|Gil Troy|July 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

And the other not-such-a-star witness was a convicted drug dealer who from jail apparently growled revenge at Big Rog.
Where Were the Doctors to Testify at Roger Clemens’s Perjury Trial?|Kent Sepkowitz|June 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
As they entered, a liver-coloured hound that lay stretched before the fire growled lazily, and showed the whites of his eyes.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
“That girl ought to get a job at a broadcasting station,” growled out Darry, as they went out upon the street.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
Skipper Worse growled a little and rubbed his head, when Sivert Gesvint pressed his hand and welcomed him with effusion.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
When he saw Harry he stopped and his hand went to his belt, "Who be yo' un," he growled, "and what do yo' un want?"
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
“If Havelock had the second thousand men he asked for he would now be marching here,” growled Nicholson.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for growl

growl

/ (ɡraʊl) /

verb

(of animals, esp when hostile) to utter (sounds) in a low inarticulate mannerthe dog growled at us

to utter (words) in a gruff or angry mannerhe growled an apology

(intr) to make sounds suggestive of an animal growlingthe thunder growled around the lake

noun

the act or sound of growling

jazz an effect resembling a growl, produced at the back of the throat when playing a wind instrument

Derived forms of growl

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

growl

Origin of growl

synonym study for growl

OTHER WORDS FROM growl

Words related to growl

How to use growl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for growl

Derived forms of growl

Word Origin for growl