Meanings
caw1
verbcaw (third-person singular simple present caws, present participle cawing, simple past and past participle cawed)
present singular third person caws · participle present cawing · participle past cawed · past cawed · alternative kaw
- To make the harsh cry of a crow, rook, or raven.
Rising and cawing at the gun's report.
c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]
interjection
alternative kaw
- A rendering of the vocalisation of a crow or other corvid.
"Amen," said M., in a grave and solemn tone. "Caw," croaked the jackdaw immediately, and with such a sonorous effect, that it disturbed our pious mien and upset our gravity.
1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 36
CAW2
proper noun
- CanadaabbreviationinitialismlabourautomotiveInitialism of Canadian Auto Workers, a former trade union, one of the predecessors of Unifor.
nounCAW (uncountable)
- abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of carbon arc welding.
Origin
Onomatopoeic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κρώζω
- κρώζω (krṓzō)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Arabic نَعْق, نَعِيق
- نَعْق (naʕq)cry of a crow
- نَعِيق (naʕīq)cry of a crow
- نَعَقَ (naʕaqa)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Bulgarian грачене, грак
- грачене (gračene)cry of a crow
- грак (grak)cry of a crow
- грача (grača)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- грачене (gračene)the cry of a crow
Catalan grallar, txac-txac
- grallarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- txac-txacthe cry of a crow
Czech krákat, krá
- krákatto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- kráthe cry of a crow
Dutch gekras
- gekrascry of a crow
Esperanto grako, graki
- grakocry of a crow
- grakito make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Estonian kraaks, kraaksumine
- kraakscry of a crow
- kraaksuminecry of a crow
- kraaksumato make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- kraathe cry of a crow
- kraaksthe cry of a crow
Finnish raakkuminen, raakunta
- raakkuminencry of a crow
- raakuntacry of a crow
- raakkuato make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
French croassement, croa
- croassementcry of a crow
- croacry of a crow
- croasserto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- TCACanadian Auto Workers
German Gekrächze, Krächzen
- Gekrächzecry of a crow
- Krächzencry of a crow
- krächzento make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Greek κρωγμός, κρώζω
- κρωγμός (krogmós)cry of a crow
- κρώζω (krózo)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Hungarian károgás, károg
- károgáscry of a crow
- károgto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- kár-kárthe cry of a crow
- kárthe cry of a crow
Irish agallach, grág
- agallachcry of a crow
- grágcry of a crow
- bheith ag cágaílto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- bheith ag grágaílto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Italian gracchio, gracchiare
- gracchiocry of a crow
- gracchiareto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Japanese カー
- カー (kā)the cry of a crow
Korean 까악, 까악까악
- 까악 (kkaak)the cry of a crow
- 까악까악 (kkaakkkaak)the cry of a crow
Latin grocīre, grocāre
- grocīreto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- grocāreto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Latvian krā, ķērciens
- krācry of a crow
- ķērcienscry of a crow
- ķērktto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Malay gauk, menggauk
- gaukcry of a crow
- menggaukto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Polish krakanie, krakać
- krakaniecry of a crow
- krakaćto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- kraknąćto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Portuguese grasnido, grasnado
- grasnidocry of a crow
- grasnadocry of a crow
- grasnadacry of a crow
- grasnocry of a crow
- grasnirto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- grasnarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- corvejarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- crocitarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- crásthe cry of a crow
- crás-crásthe cry of a crow
Romanian croncăni
- croncănito make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Russian ка́рканье, ка́ркать
- ка́рканье (kárkanʹje)cry of a crow
- ка́ркать (kárkatʹ)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- ка́ркнуть (kárknutʹ)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- гра́ять (grájatʹ)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- кар (kar)the cry of a crow
- кар-кар (kar-kar)the cry of a crow
Scottish Gaelic gràg, gràc
- gràgcry of a crow
- gràccry of a crow
- gràgto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- gòrag gòragthe cry of a crow
- gròc gròcthe cry of a crow
Spanish graznido, crocitar
- graznidocry of a crow
- crocitarcry of a crow
- croscitarcry of a crow
- crascitarcry of a crow
- graznarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- gaznarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- crocitarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- crascitarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- croscitarto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- gañirto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- grajearto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Swedish krax, kraxa
- kraxcry of a crow
- kraxato make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Tagalog wak-wak
- wak-wakcry of a crow
Tamil கா, காக்கா
- கா (kā)cry of a crow
- காக்கா (kākkā)cry of a crow
- கரை (karai)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- கா (kā)the cry of a crow
- காக்கா (kākkā)the cry of a crow
Turkish gak, gaklama
- gakcry of a crow
- gaklamacry of a crow
- gaklamakto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Ukrainian кря́кання, ка́ркання
- кря́кання (krjákannja)cry of a crow
- ка́ркання (kárkannja)cry of a crow
- кря́кати (krjákaty)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- кря́кнути pf ка́ркати (krjáknuty)to make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Welsh crawc, crawciad
- crawccry of a crow
- crawciadcry of a crow
- crawcianto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
- crawcioto make the cry of a crow, rook, or raven
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with caw
lawsawrawdrawshawawwithdrawMcGrawstrawwarsawwofauxjawthoughtfultauflawawepawclawthorLimbaughwaughhawthaw
All rhymes →Sounds the same
core (non-rhotic)core (non-rhotic)core (non-rhotic)
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
caw. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caw
MLA
“caw.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caw. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “caw,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/caw.
Source: caw on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.