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Synonyms

caw

American  
[kaw] / kɔ /

noun

  1. the harsh, grating cry of the crow, raven, etc.

verb (used without object)

  1. to utter this cry or a similar sound.

caw 1 British  
/ kɔː /

noun

  1. the cry of a crow, rook, or raven

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to make this cry

"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
CAW 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Canadian Auto Workers (trade union)

"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

Etymology

Origin of caw

First recorded in 1580–90; 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.

Carrion crows can count out loud, effectively calling “one, two, three” as they caw, researchers report today in Science.

From Science Magazine • May 22, 2024

Meanwhile, those blessed crows sit and caw and take care of themselves.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2021

Forty-seven miles west of Barry and Po’s yard, seagulls caw and circle the property that was once Pungo district hospital.

From The Guardian • May 25, 2018

A few people are splashing in the water as seagulls swoop and caw overhead; groups of day-trippers eat ice cream on some modern steps by the beach.

From Washington Post • Aug. 3, 2017

Pantalaimon, on the other hand, leaped into the air with a loud caw of delight, and wheeled and skimmed and darted now ahead of the boat, now behind the stem.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

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.