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Glite Dictionary
🐱 A cat sound 🐱 To make cat sound
to meow

to meow

8 1.0
To make the short sound a cat makes
  • verb
  • /miˈaʊ/
translation icon : maullar
  • As I walked by, the cat began to meow loudly, asking for attention.
  • cat meowing
  • meow loudly
  • meowed again

Yeah, when I came home from work and I hear her going meow, meow.

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Examples

  • There is a cat outside the apartment building that starts to meow and the boys are interested in it.

  • Cats do not meow at each other.

    Music (2021)

  • The Week reports a woman in England found her missing cat by hearing it meow over the phone.

  • It's because the cat, of course, comes over to Major and the cat's like meow, meow.

  • That night, I'm sitting in the living room with my roommate and we hear this meow, meow, meow in the front yard.

  • The cat's purpose as she meows at the door is to be let in.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Your cat is meowing at you from up on the skylight.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • I can hear the stray cats meowing outside my window.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Luke's about to close the door when he looks down and sees a cat meowing at him from the sidewalk.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "The cat was perched on the back stoop, meowing at her reproachfully."

    Fiction book (1995)

Synonyms

to mewl
vsto meow
2 9.9

To cry in a small, weak voice like a kitten or baby

is a neutral cat cry rather than a weak, humanlike whimper
to mew
vsto meow
1 7.9

To make a soft high sound like a kitten

is the general cat cry, not limited to soft juvenile sounds
to miaow
vsto meow
  • UK
1.9

To make the short high sound cats make

is the same sound but spelled in a different form
to nyau
vsto meow
9.9

To make a soft sound like a cat's meow

is the typical cat cry and can be louder or varied in tone
to waul
vsto meow
  • Archaic
9.9

To make a loud, high, sad sound like a cat's cry

is the ordinary cat vocalisation, not specifically a distressed whining sound
to wawl
vsto meow
9.9

To make a long, high, sad noise like crying

is the usual feline cry, not the broader howling or human complaint sound

Idioms

the cat's meow
  • Archaic
3 9.2

A person or thing that people think is excellent

Compounds

meow button
6.3

A button on a toy or device that makes a cat sound when pressed

playful meow
4.5

A light, friendly sound a cat makes to invite play

How Loud

to scream
∞ 1.0
to yowl
2 6.3
to meow
8 1.0
to purr
20 1.0

Surface Forms

meow infinitive
meowed past
meowed past participle
meowing present participle
meows third person singular

Etymology

The word meow as a verb comes from the same imitation and simply means to 'make a meow', or to make the sound a cat makes.