prowl
Americanverb (used without object)
-
prowls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prowled,
past participle, past
-
prowling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
prowls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prowled,
past participle, past
-
prowling
present participle
noun
-
prowls
plural
idioms
verb
noun
-
the act of prowling
-
-
moving around stealthily
-
zealously pursuing members of the opposite sex
-
Synonym Usage
See lurk.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prowlsimple
-
prowlssimple
-
have prowledperfect
-
has prowledperfect
-
am prowlingprogressive
-
are prowlingprogressive
-
is prowlingprogressive
-
have been prowlingperfect progressive
-
has been prowlingperfect progressive
Past
-
prowledsimple
-
had prowledperfect
-
was prowlingprogressive
-
were prowlingprogressive
-
had been prowlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prowl
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prollen; origin uncertain
Explanation
If you move stealthily — like you're looking for something to prey on — then you prowl. Your cat might prowl around the room and pounce on your feet, which is cute if you're awake, but annoying when you're asleep. The noun prowl means the act of moving as if to capture prey. You could take a prowl through the music shop and try to find your favorite vintage album. Prowl is also used in the phrase "on the prowl," which implies that the person doing the prowling is looking for a romantic partner. Your idea of a fun Saturday night might be staying home while your friends go on the prowl at the dance club.
Vocabulary lists containing prowl
Unit 1: Telling Details
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Touching Spirit Bear
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Where the Red Fern Grows
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Sessa was born to prowl around wild-eyed in retro polyester.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Many of these wealthy buyers are on the prowl for vacation homes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
But to define her solely as a feline, “forever on the prowl for her own kind of ‘mousing prospects,’” seems limiting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Singer Abigail Morris made full use of the stage to prowl around and lead the crowd into a wild sing-a-long to Nothing Matters.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
As their ritual combat moved toward the second phase, the two bears began to prowl restlessly on the snow, edging forward, swinging their heads.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Pete, the rescue cat she got more than a decade ago and who she thinks is 16 years old, prowls in, quite at home in the apparent chaos.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
Founder and executive producer Andrés Rigal, part master of ceremonies and part fairy godmother, prowls the line, handpicking the most striking attendees and sending them past the bouncer with a nod and a smile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025
“We used to have multiple daily car prowls, and now, four of our five garages had no car prowls in the month of March,” Rivera said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
A panther prowls through tract housing, a polar bear strolls near oil rigs, a bison stands in a parking lot and a wolf trots past an interior wall papered with renderings of trees.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2023
She growls and prowls toward a corner where a little rat squeaks wildly.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Its waters supported giant turtles and crocodylians, while an extraordinary collection of hunters prowled the surrounding shores.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026
Cervantes’s readers would have understood the references instantly: The wild cats once prowled the Spanish countryside in abundance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
A camera network that had been active when P-22 prowled Griffith Park was redeployed, and within a week photos were snapped of what officials said was the same lion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2024
Mary - who asked we not use her last name to protect her family's privacy - was one of the many women who sheltered in a store, horrified, as Cauchi prowled outside.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024
Jesper prowled the deck, climbed the rigging, tried to get the crew to play cards with him, cleaned his guns.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
If agents are always prowling for reservations, human spontaneity will lose, and fewer people who have the good fortune of checking for a competitive seating at the right moment will get it.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared on the night of January 31-February 1, with recovered security camera footage showing a masked and gloved person prowling outside her home in the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Elaine Forbes, 53, was charged Tuesday with one count of prowling on private property, two counts of lodging without an owner’s consent and one count of petty theft, according to Marin County Superior Court records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
As America entered World War II, New York City was threatened by prowling U-boats off the coast and Nazi spies lodged in Manhattan hotels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
He found Reed on deck with the starboard watch, prowling the perimeter of the ship.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
