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definitions

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.

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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. provost sergeant,
  2. prow,
  3. prowar,
  4. prowess,
  5. prowfish,
  6. prowl car,
  7. prowler,
  8. prowling,
  9. prox.,
  10. proxemics

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

Examples from the Web for prowling

British Dictionary definitions for prowling

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
  1. moving around stealthily
  2. 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 prowling
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper