definitions

mew

1
[ myoo ]
/ myu /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mew ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

RELATED WORDS

fence, wall, bound, restrict, intern, wrap, circumscribe, encompass, imbue, veil, limit, pen, jail, circle, confine, impound, encircle, coop, blockade, hedge

Nearby words

meursault, meurthe-et-moselle, meuse, mev, mevrou, mew, mewar, mewl, mews, mex, mex.

Origin of mew

1
1275–1325; Middle English meuen; imitative

Can be confused

mews muse

Definition for mew (2 of 4)

mew

2
[ myoo ]
/ myu /

noun

a small gull, Larus canus, of Eurasia and northwestern North America.

Origin of mew

2
before 900; Middle English; Old English mǣwe; cognate with German Müwe
Also called mew gull.

Definition for mew (3 of 4)

mew

3
[ 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.
  1. (formerly) an area of stables built around a small street.
  2. 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

3
1325–75; Middle English mue < Middle French, akin to muer to molt. See mew4

Definition for mew (4 of 4)

mew

4
[ myoo ]
/ myu /

verb (used with or without object)

to shed (feathers); to molt.

Origin of mew

4
1325–75; Middle English mewen < Old French muer to molt < Latin mūtāre to change

Related forms

mew·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mew

British Dictionary definitions for mew (1 of 4)

mew

1
/ (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)

mew

2
/ (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)

mew

3
/ (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)

mew

4
/ (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