Meaning & use
meow
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
The soft, high-pitched sound that a cat makes.
Grammar: Countable: a meow, the meows of a hungry cat.
Patterns
- a meow
- the meow of a cat
- with a meow
The cat greeted me with a loud meow.
I heard a faint meow coming from under the car.
Her meow sounded almost like a question.
verbintransitive
To make the sound that a cat makes.
Grammar: No object: The cat meowed loudly.
Patterns
- meow at someone
- meow for something
The kitten meowed pitifully at the door.
She meowed to be let out.
He meowed softly in his sleep.
interjection
Used to imitate the sound of a cat or to make a remark that is like a cat's sound.
Grammar: Standalone word, often repeated: Meow! Meow!
Patterns
- Meow!
"Meow!" she said, imitating the cat.
He gave a little "meow" to get her attention.
The toy went "meow" when squeezed.
Word forms
| third person singular | meows |
|---|---|
| past tense | meowed |
| past participle | meowed |
| -ing form | meowing |
| plural | meows |
Common combinations
- loud meow
- The cat let out a loud meow.
- meow softly
- The kitten meowed softly for food.
- meow at someone
- The cat meowed at me to open the door.
- a cat's meow
- The cat's meow woke me up.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- meowing noun
- The act or sound of a cat meowing.
Commonly confused: meow or miaow?
meow vs miaow
British spelling of the same word; meow is the American spelling.
Practice
The cat ___ softly to be let in.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'meowed' fits the past-time context. 'Meowing' would need a helping verb (was meowing), 'meows' is present tense, and 'meow' is the base form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “meow”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.