meow
Americannoun
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meows
plural
-
the characteristic sound a cat makes.
-
a spiteful or catty remark.
verb (used without object)
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meows,
present (3rd person singular)
-
meowed,
past participle, past
-
meowing
present participle
-
to make the sound of a cat.
-
to make a spiteful or catty remark.
verb
interjection
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
meowsimple
-
meowssimple
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have meowedperfect
-
has meowedperfect
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am meowingprogressive
-
are meowingprogressive
-
is meowingprogressive
-
have been meowingperfect progressive
-
has been meowingperfect progressive
Past
-
meowedsimple
-
had meowedperfect
-
was meowingprogressive
-
were meowingprogressive
-
had been meowingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of meow
First recorded in 1870–75; imitative
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:
Together, these results highlight how domestication shaped the modern cat's voice, turning the meow into a flexible communication tool while leaving the purr as a steady marker of individuality.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
He would eat and then meow to leave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
As I arrived, I was greeted by a loud meow from Julia's cat Monty.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2024
Research has shown that cats meow primarily when in the presence of humans, suggesting that we can’t help but skew the app’s inputs, while some cats rarely vocalize at all.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2023
Quixote landed with a screeching meow and a thud, Dad accelerated up the road, and I burst into tears.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
Cats use meows in many different situations, especially when interacting with humans.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 11, 2026
Then, too soon after dawn, her demeanor abruptly changes: She bites my hands, legs, and neck, and meows in my face with a force that can only be described as belligerent.
From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2023
Household cats are quite vocal to their human companions, using different meows to communicate different messages.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2023
“Yeah, I got what I wanted,” Spears says as Asghari meows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2023
We were greeted by a chorus of barks and meows from the patients scattered throughout the waiting area.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
“Even his sister, from the safety of the screen door of the trailer, meowed for him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2024
Upon seeing me, Momo meowed and then purred.
From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2022
“I thought I heard a meow, and I thought my mind’s playing tricks on me so I hollered his name out, and he meowed again,” Gibson said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 22, 2021
Throughout the summer, it stretched awake in the morning, meowed at passersby during rush hour and curled into a sleepy ball after midnight.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2021
The branches of the big palm tree in Berges’s front yard were lashing with a dry clatter, and a cat meowed over and over and over in front of some kitchen door closed against it.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
In the more upmarket north of Tehran, many residents appeared to have left, with the meowing of cats and birdsong replacing the usual din of traffic jams.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
The low frequency portion of the whinny comes from vocal fold vibration, much like a person singing or a cat meowing.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 25, 2026
A cat meowing for Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Peyton Manning chucking Bud Light beers to patrons in a bar and Kris Jenner stacking Oreo cookies.
From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024
The new experiment instead suggests that purring, like meowing and hissing, is a passive phenomenon that plays out automatically after cats’ brains provide the initial signal to purr, the researchers conclude.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 3, 2023
It was too quiet at home, even with Mr. Whiskers’ cranky meowing to let me know he didn’t appreciate my being gone so long.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
