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meow

American  
[mee-ou, myou] / miˈaʊ, myaʊ /
Sometimes miaou,

noun

  1. the characteristic sound a cat makes.

  2. a spiteful or catty remark.

verb (used without object)

  1. to make the sound of a cat.

  2. to make a spiteful or catty remark.

meow British  
/ mjaʊl, mjaʊ, mɪˈaʊl, mɪˈaʊ /

verb

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

"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

interjection

  1. an imitation of this sound

"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 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.

They examined vocalizations from both domestic and wild cats and found that domestication has especially increased how much a cat's meow can vary.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

He would eat and then meow to leave.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2025

"She's super tiny, her breath smells so bad, and she doesn't have a meow," the singer dotes.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2025

What is the meaning of a cat’s meow that grows louder and louder?

From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024

He lets out a long meow, and then settles in, right against my thigh.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

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.