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meow

or mi·aow, mi·aou

[ mee-ou, myou ]

/ miˈaʊ, myaʊ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR meow ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the characteristic sound a cat makes.

a spiteful or catty remark.

verb (used without object)

to make the sound of a cat.

to make a spiteful or catty remark.

Sometimes mi·aul [mee-oul, mee-awl] /miˈaʊl, miˈɔl/.

Origin of meow

First recorded in 1870–75; imitative

Words nearby meow

menudo, menuhin, menzies, menéndez de avilés, meo, meow, mep, mepacrine, meperidine, mephibosheth, mephistopheles

Example sentences from the Web for meow

But if Wright did not understand me, as I hoped he would not, my husband did, and his inevitable "Meow!"

Mavis of Green Hill |Faith Baldwin
This one kneels before each player in turn and says, in pitiful tones: "Meow!"

Games for Everybody |May C. Hofmann
She was talking very fast,—in her meow talk, you know,—and behind her stood Mother Sue with the kitten in her mouth.

Little Mitchell |Margaret W. Morley
He "meow'd" with caution once or twice, as he went; then jumped to the roof of the woodshed and thence to the ground.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete |Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

"They meow and cry like everything on the back fence," said the third fiddler.

The Adventures of Puss in Boots, Jr. |David Cory

British Dictionary definitions for meow

meow

miaou or miaow miaul (mɪˈaʊl, mjaʊl)

/ (mɪˈaʊ, mjaʊ) /

verb

(intr) (of a cat) to make a characteristic crying sound

interjection

an imitation of this sound