meow

[mee-ou, myou] /miˈaʊ, myaʊ/
noun
1.
the characteristic sound a cat makes.
2.
a spiteful or catty remark.
verb (used without object)
3.
to make the sound of a cat.
4.
to make a spiteful or catty remark.
Also, miaow, miaou, miaul.
Origin
1870-75; imitative
Examples from the web for meow
  • But scientists say none of these animals can learn to bark, meow, or growl in a new way.
  • They meow and complain for a few weeks but finally get over it and start entertaining each other at night.
  • One noticeable difference, however, is that every lyric has been replaced by their studio engineer singing the word meow.
  • The loud meow demanded attention and priority over opening other gifts.
British Dictionary definitions for meow

meow

/mɪˈaʊ; mjaʊ/
verb
1.
(intransitive) (of a cat) to make a characteristic crying sound
interjection
2.
an imitation of this sound
Word Origin and History for meow
n.

representation of cat sound, 1842, earlier miaow, miau, meaw (1630s). Of imitative origin, cf. French miaou, German miauen, Persian maw, Japanese nya nya, Arabic nau-nau, and Joyce's mrkgnao. In Chinese, miau means "cat." As a verb by 1630s, meaw, also meawle. Cf. Old French miauer "to meow, caterwaul." Related: Meowed; meowing.

Slang definitions & phrases for meow

meow

Related Terms

the cat's meow