meow
Americannoun
-
meows
plural
-
the characteristic sound a cat makes.
-
a spiteful or catty remark.
verb (used without object)
-
meows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
meowed,
past participle, past
-
meowing
present participle
-
to make the sound of a cat.
-
to make a spiteful or catty remark.
verb
interjection
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
meowsimple
-
meowssimple
-
have meowedperfect
-
has meowedperfect
-
am meowingprogressive
-
are meowingprogressive
-
is meowingprogressive
-
have been meowingperfect progressive
-
has been meowingperfect progressive
Past
-
meowedsimple
-
had meowedperfect
-
was meowingprogressive
-
were meowingprogressive
-
had been meowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of meow
First recorded in 1870–75; 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.
See Examples For:
And yet the key to understanding a cat’s meow will often rest specifically with that cat’s caretaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
And besides, there’s a theory that, with the meow, the cats were evolving to imitate us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Adult cats, specifically, rarely meow to one another, instead preferring other vocal intonations or facial signifiers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
They may meow to ask for food, demand attention, or even "complain."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
He was a kitten, With a meow Like the rusty latch On a gate.
From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto
Asked, for instance, if he meows to his cats, Jonathan B. Losos, an evolutionary biologist and author of the book, “The Cat’s Meow: How Cats Evolved From the Savanna to Your Sofa,” wouldn’t deny it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Cats use meows in many different situations, especially when interacting with humans.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
While both meows and purrs contained individual traits, purrs were far more reliable.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
Other books showed a warmer, more playful side, such as in “Bark, George,” about a dog that meows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2025
No hungry cats, whose meows, for some reason, always sounded like babies crying.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Upon seeing me, Momo meowed and then purred.
From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2022
“I thought I heard a meow, and I thought my mind’s playing tricks on me so I hollered his name out, and he meowed again,” Gibson said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021
Throughout the summer, it stretched awake in the morning, meowed at passersby during rush hour and curled into a sleepy ball after midnight.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2021
The class was finishing a tutorial begun the day before: how to build a simple app in which a button with a cat picture meowed when tapped.
From Slate ● Nov. 23, 2015
She meowed out goodbyes to her brothers and sisters as we crossed the yard.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
“Our cats’ ancestors were already meowing when they began living alongside humans,” Schwartz says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
In the more upmarket north of Tehran, many residents appeared to have left, with the meowing of cats and birdsong replacing the usual din of traffic jams.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
"People pay most attention to meowing because cats mainly use these vocalizations toward us," explains the study's first author, Danilo Russo.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
A cat meowing for Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Peyton Manning chucking Bud Light beers to patrons in a bar and Kris Jenner stacking Oreo cookies.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
She clung to my side, meowing and howling.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
