growler

[grou-ler]

noun

1. a person or thing that growls.

2. Informal.,  a pitcher, pail, or other container brought by a customer for beer.

3. British Slang.,  a four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage.

4. Electricity.,  an electromagnetic device consisting of two field poles, used for indicating short-circuited coils in armatures and for magnetizing or demagnetizing objects.

5. an iceberg large enough to be a navigational hazard.

growler

/ ˈɡraʊlə /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that growls

2. slang,  a four-wheeled hansom cab

3. a small iceberg that has broken off from a larger iceberg or from a glacier, often hazardous to shipping

4. slang,  any container, such as a can, for draught beer

5. derogatory,  a woman, esp one who is considered physically unattractive

Word History and Origins

Origin of growler¹

First recorded in 1745–55; growl + -er ¹

Example Sentences

At night, the crew trained a searchlight across the dark waters to look for growlers—low-floating chunks of ice big enough to puncture a ship.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Take your plume back, little growler. We might as well be friends. After all, if all goes according to plan, I’ll end up being your grandpapa.”

Read more on Literature

At night, crews trained a searchlight across dark waters infested with so-called growlers—low-floating chunks of ice the size of trucks that can puncture ships.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Icebergs, bergy bits and growlers—some of the many forms of ice here—joined sea and sky to display every shade of blue.

Read more on Scientific American

Only three days later they met their first ice, large chunks called growlers that scraped and rumbled past the sides of the ship.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• beaker 
• bottle 
• bucket 
• carafe 
• decanter 
• flask 
• jar 
• pot 
• tub 
• urn 
• vase