prowl

[proul]

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verb (used without object)

to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, something to steal, etc.

verb (used with object)

to rove over or through in search of what may be found: The cat prowled the alleys in search of food.

noun

act of prowling.

Idioms

on the prowl, in the act of prowling; searching stealthily: The cat is on the prowl for mice.

Origin of prowl

1350–1400; Middle English prollen < ?

Related formsprowl·ing·ly, adverbun·prowl·ing, adjective

Synonyms for prowl

1. roam. See lurk.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for prowled

skulk, slink, lurk, tramp, stroll, roam, scavenge, patrol, hunt, sneak, range, stalk, snake, rove, cruise, steal

Examples from the Web for prowled

Contemporary Examples of prowled

Many boats ran into trouble with the Thai pirates who prowled the South China Sea at that time.
Remembering the Fall of Saigon and Vietnam’s Mass ‘Boat People’ Exodus
Katie Baker
April 30, 2014
Dubbed the "Baseline Killer," he prowled the city from the summer of 2005 to the summer of 2006.
Arizona’s Serial-Killer Saga
Terry Greene Sterling
October 20, 2011

Historical Examples of prowled

Stevie prowled round the table like an excited animal in a cage.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
I came back to my new hunting ground and all night long I prowled about.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Eric prowled through the hall to his father's big work-room.
The Education of Eric Lane
Stephen McKenna
He and Mahon prowled soberly about hatches and ventilators, sniffing.
Youth
Joseph Conrad
So I prowled about and got plenty, chipping off as much as I could conveniently carry.
The Book-Hunter
John Hill Burton

British Dictionary definitions for prowled

prowl

verb

(when intr, often foll by around or about) to move stealthily around (a place) as if in search of prey or plunder

noun

the act of prowling

on the prowl

moving around stealthily
zealously pursuing members of the opposite sex

Derived Formsprowler, noun

Word Origin for prowl

C14 prollen, of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for prowled

prowl

late 14c., prollen, "move about in search of something," of unknown origin, with no known cognates. Spelling with -w- is from 1500s (cf. bowl), but pronounced "prôll" till late 18c. Meaning "go stealthily in search of prey" is first recorded 1580s. Related: Prowled; prowling. The noun, in on the prowl, is attested from 1803.