meow
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meow
- /miˈaʊ/ US, UK
- [mjaʊ̯] US, UK
Rhymes with -aʊ
Where it comes from
Alteration of earlier mew, from Middle English mewen, mouwen (“to mew, meow”), of onomatopoeic origin.
Compare Saterland Frisian mauje, miauje (“to meow”), West Frisian miaukje (“to meow”), Dutch miauwen (“to meow”), Middle Low German mauwen, mawen, mouwen (“to meow”) (whence modern German Low German mauen, miauen (“to meow”)), Middle High German mouen, modern German miauen (“to meow”). Some spellings were modelled on French miaou.
Meow and its spelling variants entered widespread currency in the 19th century, mostly replacing mew, possibly because phonetic change meant that word had ceased to approximate a cat's cry (contrast the pronunciation of Middle English mewen /ˈmɛu̯ən/ compared to modern /ˈmjuː/).
(mephedrone): Perhaps because of the drug's distinctive smell resembling cat urine.
interjection miaow · miaou · meaw · meeow
- Used to indicate the cry of a cat. “The last thing they had seen in 2012 before that break was a short from Simon’s Cat called ‘Cat Man Do,’” said Lamothe. “When you leave 800 people in the dark, they will do something. That’s what Fantasia is. But because they had just seen that cat go meow, they meowed.”
-
Used in reply to a spiteful or catty comment.
Similar: handbags
- Used to express seductiveness, mimicking a growl.
noun meows · miaow · miaou · meaw · meeow
verb meows · meowing · meowed · miaow · miaou
- Of a cat, to make its cry. “The last thing they had seen in 2012 before that break was a short from Simon’s Cat called ‘Cat Man Do,’” said Lamothe. “When you leave 800 people in the dark, they will do something. That’s what Fantasia is. But because they had just seen that cat go meow, they meowed.”
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: miaow, miaou, mew, whoa, wow, miaul, miauling, miaowing, hoot, wauling, cat's meow, mewling, roar, mewl, purr, yowl
Translations
Every language
intj cry of a cat
| Español | miau, ñau, ñew |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 야옹 yaong |
| 日本語 | にゃあ nyā, にゃん nyan |
| 中文 | 喵 miāo, 咪咪 mīmī |
| हिन्दी | म्याऊँ myāū̃ |
| Português | miau |
| Français | miaou |
| Deutsch | miau, maunz |
| Italiano | miao |
| Ελληνικά | νιάου niáou |
| Română | miau, miorlau |
| Русский | мя́у mjáu |
| Tiếng Việt | ngoao, ngao, meo, méo |
| العربية | مُوَاء muwāʔ |
| עברית | מיאו |
noun cry of a cat
| Español | maullido |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 야옹 yaong |
| 日本語 | にゃ nya, にゃあ nyā, ニャー nyā |
| 中文 | 喵 miāo, 咪咪 mīmī, 貓叫聲 /猫叫声 māojiàoshēng |
| हिन्दी | म्याऊँ myāū̃ |
| Português | miado |
| Français | miaou, miaulement, nyaw |
| Deutsch | Miau, Miauen, Maunzen, Gemaunze |
| Italiano | miao |
| Ελληνικά | νιαούρισμα niaoúrisma |
| Română | mieunat, miorlăit |
| Русский | мяу́кание mjaúkanije, мя́у mjáu |
| Tiếng Việt | meo meo, mèo mèo |
| العربية | مُوَاء muwāʔ |
noun mephedrone
| हिन्दी | म्याऊं म्याऊं myāū̃ myāū̃ |
|---|
verb of a cat, to make its cry
| Español | maullar, hacer miau, miagar (Cantabria) |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 야옹하다 yaonghada |
| 日本語 | にゃあと鳴く nyā to naku, 鳴く naku |
| 中文 | 貓叫 /猫叫 māojiào, 咪咪叫 mīmī jiào |
| Português | miar |
| Français | miauler |
| Deutsch | miauen, maunzen, mauzen |
| Italiano | miagolare |
| Ελληνικά | νιαουρίζω niaourízo |
| Română | mieuna, miorlăi |
| Русский | мяу́кать mjaúkatʹ, мяу́кнуть mjaúknutʹ |
| العربية | مَاءَ māʔa, تَمَوَّأَ tamawwaʔa |
Talk about this word "meow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/meow. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. meow. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/meow "meow." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/meow.Cite this
@misc{meow_2026,
title = {meow},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/meow},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
