prowl

[ proul ]
See synonyms for: prowlprowlingprowls on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, something to steal, etc.

verb (used with object)
  1. to rove over or through in search of what may be found: The cat prowled the alleys in search of food.

noun
  1. act of prowling.

Idioms about prowl

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

Origin of prowl

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prollen; origin uncertain

synonym study For prowl

1. See lurk.

Other words for prowl

Other words from prowl

  • prowl·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·prowl·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use prowl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for prowl

prowl

/ (praʊl) /


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

noun
  1. the act of prowling

  2. on the prowl

    • moving around stealthily

    • zealously pursuing members of the opposite sex

Origin of prowl

1
C14 prollen, of unknown origin

Derived forms of prowl

  • prowler, noun

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