mew
1[ myoo ]
/ myu /
Save This Word!
noun
the tiny, high-pitched sound a cat or kitten makes.
the characteristic sound a gull makes.
verb (used without object)
to make a mew or emit a similar sound.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Meet Grammar Coach
Improve Your Writing
Origin of mew
1First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English meuen; imitative
Words nearby mew
Definition for mew (2 of 4)
mew2
[ myoo ]
/ myu /
noun
a small gull, Larus canus, of Eurasia and northwestern North America.
Also called mew gull .
Origin of mew
2First recorded in before 900; Middle English; Old English mǣwe; cognate with German Müwe
Definition for mew (3 of 4)
mew3
[ myoo ]
/ myu /
noun
a cage for hawks, especially while molting.
a pen in which poultry is fattened.
a place of retirement or concealment.
mews, (usually used with a singular verb)Chiefly British.
- (formerly) an area of stables built around a small street.
- a street having small apartments converted from such stables.
verb (used with object)
Archaic. to shut up in or as in a mew; confine; conceal (often followed by up).
Origin of mew
3WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH mew
mews , museDefinition for mew (4 of 4)
Origin of mew
4First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English mewen, from Old French muer “to molt,” from Latin mūtāre “to change”
OTHER WORDS FROM mew
mewer, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for mew
British Dictionary definitions for mew (1 of 4)
mew1
/ (mjuː) /
verb
(intr) (esp of a cat) to make a characteristic high-pitched cry
noun
such a sound
Word Origin for mew
C14: imitative
British Dictionary definitions for mew (2 of 4)
mew2
/ (mjuː) /
noun
any seagull, esp the common gull, Larus canusAlso called: mew gull, sea mew
Word Origin for mew
Old English mǣw; compare Old Saxon mēu, Middle Dutch mēwe
British Dictionary definitions for mew (3 of 4)
mew3
/ (mjuː) /
noun
a room or cage for hawks, esp while moulting
verb
(tr often foll by up) to confine (hawks or falcons) in a shelter, cage, etc, usually by tethering them to a perch
to confine, conceal
Word Origin for mew
C14: from Old French mue, from muer to moult, from Latin mūtāre to change
British Dictionary definitions for mew (4 of 4)
mew4
/ (mjuː) /
verb
(intr) (of hawks or falcons) to moult
(tr) obsolete to shed (one's covering, clothes, etc)
Word Origin for mew
C14: from Old French muer to moult, from Latin mūtāre to change
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