Meanings
alternative UK miaow · alternative UK miaou · alternative obsolete meaw · alternative obsolete 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.”
2024 January 8, Alison Foreman, “Why Do Audiences at Fantasia Fest … Meow?”, in IndieWire - colloquialUsed to express seductiveness, mimicking a growl.
plural meows · alternative UK miaow · alternative UK miaou · alternative obsolete meaw · alternative obsolete meeow
- countableThe cry of a cat.
A cat’s meow and a cow’s moo, I can recite them all / Just tell me where it hurts you, honey
1968, Bob Dylan, “Quinn the Eskimo”1 more example
It’s from within that breathing room the meow finally emerged. […] These days every Fantasia screening begins with a cacophony of meows — timed by the audience to start and stop at black leader.
2024 January 8, Alison Foreman, “Why Do Audiences at Fantasia Fest … Meow?”, in IndieWire
present singular third person meows · participle present meowing · participle past meowed · past meowed · alternative UK miaow · alternative UK miaou · alternative obsolete meaw · alternative obsolete meeow
- intransitiveOf a cat, to make its cry.
The cat meows at me and bird-watches by the window facing the street. Sometimes I bird-watch with him because the older I get, the more interested I get in birds lol.
2024 May 8, R29 Team, “A Week In Boston On An $81,000 Salary”, in Refinery291 more example
“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.”
2024 January 8, Alison Foreman, “Why Do Audiences at Fantasia Fest … Meow?”, in IndieWire
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionUsed in reply to a spiteful or catty comment.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishmewen
- Englishmeow
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.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُوَاء, مُوَاء
- مُوَاء (muwāʔ)cry of a cat
- مُوَاء (muwāʔ)cry of a cat
- مَاءَ (māʔa)of a cat, to make its cry
- تَمَوَّأَ (tamawwaʔa)of a cat, to make its cry
Bengali ম্যাঁ, ম্যাঁও
- ম্যাঁ (mễ)cry of a cat
- ম্যাঁও (mễō)cry of a cat
Bulgarian мя́у, мяу
- мя́у (mjáu)cry of a cat
- мяу (mjau)cry of a cat
Catalan meu, miol
- meucry of a cat
- miolcry of a cat
- miolarof a cat, to make its cry
Chinese Cantonese 喵, 喵
- 喵 (miu¹)cry of a cat
- 喵 (meu¹)cry of a cat
Chinese Mandarin 喵, 咪咪
- 喵 (miāo)cry of a cat
- 咪咪 (mīmī)cry of a cat
- 喵 (miāo)cry of a cat
- 咪咪 (mīmī)cry of a cat
- 貓叫聲 /猫叫声 (māojiàoshēng)cry of a cat
- 貓叫 /猫叫 (māojiào)of a cat, to make its cry
- 咪咪叫 (mīmī jiào)of a cat, to make its cry
Czech mňau, mňoukání
- mňaucry of a cat
- mňoukánícry of a cat
- zamňoukánícry of a cat
- mňoukatof a cat, to make its cry
- mňouknoutof a cat, to make its cry
Danish mjav, miav
- mjavcry of a cat
- miavcry of a cat
- miavcry of a cat
- mjavcry of a cat
- miaucry of a cat
- mjaveof a cat, to make its cry
Dutch miauw, miauw
- miauwcry of a cat
- miauwcry of a cat
- gemiauwcry of a cat
- miauwenof a cat, to make its cry
Esperanto miaŭ, miaŭ
- miaŭcry of a cat
- miaŭsaid in reply to a spiteful comment
- miaŭocry of a cat
- miaŭiof a cat, to make its cry
Estonian mäu, näu
- mäucry of a cat
- näucry of a cat
- mjäucry of a cat
- njäucry of a cat
- mjäucry of a cat
- näucry of a cat
- näugumaof a cat, to make its cry
- kräunumaof a cat, to make its cry
Finnish miau, mau
- miaucry of a cat
- maucry of a cat
- nau’untacry of a cat
- naukuminencry of a cat
- naukunacry of a cat
- naukuaof a cat, to make its cry
French miaou, miaou
- miaoucry of a cat
- miaoucry of a cat
- miaulementcry of a cat
- nyawcry of a cat
- miaulerof a cat, to make its cry
German miau, maunz
- miaucry of a cat
- maunzcry of a cat
- Miaucry of a cat
- Miauencry of a cat
- Maunzencry of a cat
- Gemaunzecry of a cat
- miauenof a cat, to make its cry
- maunzenof a cat, to make its cry
- mauzenof a cat, to make its cry
Greek νιάου, νιαούρισμα
- νιάου (niáou)cry of a cat
- νιαούρισμα (niaoúrisma)cry of a cat
- νιαουρίζω (niaourízo)of a cat, to make its cry
Hawaiian ʻoau, ʻowau
- ʻoaucry of a cat
- ʻowaucry of a cat
- ʻowaucry of a cat
Hebrew מיאו
- מיאוcry of a cat
Hindi म्याऊँ, म्याऊँ
- म्याऊँ (myāū̃)cry of a cat
- म्याऊँ (myāū̃)cry of a cat
- म्याऊं म्याऊं (myāū̃ myāū̃)mephedrone
Hungarian miau, nyávog
- miaucry of a cat
- nyávogof a cat, to make its cry
Icelandic mjá, mjálm
- mjácry of a cat
- mjálmcry of a cat
- mjálmaof a cat, to make its cry
Indonesian meong, meong
- meongcry of a cat
- meongcry of a cat
- mengeongof a cat, to make its cry
- mengiauof a cat, to make its cry
Irish míáú, meamhlach
- míáúcry of a cat
- meamhlachcry of a cat
Italian miao, miao
- miaocry of a cat
- miaocry of a cat
- miagolareof a cat, to make its cry
Japanese にゃあ, にゃん
- にゃあ (nyā)cry of a cat
- にゃん (nyan)cry of a cat
- にゃ (nya)cry of a cat
- にゃあ (nyā)cry of a cat
- ニャー (nyā)cry of a cat
- にゃあと鳴く (nyā to naku)of a cat, to make its cry
- 鳴く (naku)of a cat, to make its cry
Korean 야옹, 야옹
- 야옹 (yaong)cry of a cat
- 야옹 (yaong)cry of a cat
- 야옹하다 (yaonghada)of a cat, to make its cry
Latin miau, felio
- miaucry of a cat
- felioof a cat, to make its cry
- maumoof a cat, to make its cry
Latvian ņau, mjau
- ņaucry of a cat
- mjaucry of a cat
- ņaudienscry of a cat
- ņaudētof a cat, to make its cry
Lithuanian miau, miau
- miaucry of a cat
- miaucry of a cat
- miauksėtiof a cat, to make its cry
Malay ngeong, miau
- ngeongcry of a cat
- miaucry of a cat
- ngiaucry of a cat
- ngeongcry of a cat
- ngiaucry of a cat
- ngiauancry of a cat
- mengeongof a cat, to make its cry
Norwegian mjau, mjau
- mjaucry of a cat
- mjaucry of a cat
- mjaueof a cat, to make its cry
Persian میو
- میو (miyu)cry of a cat
Polish miau, miau
- miaucry of a cat
- miaucry of a cat
- miauczeniecry of a cat
- miaukcry of a cat
- miauczećof a cat, to make its cry
Portuguese miau, miado
- miaucry of a cat
- miadocry of a cat
- miarof a cat, to make its cry
Romanian miau, miorlau
- miaucry of a cat
- miorlaucry of a cat
- mieunatcry of a cat
- miorlăitcry of a cat
- mieunaof a cat, to make its cry
- miorlăiof a cat, to make its cry
Russian мя́у, мяу́кание
- мя́у (mjáu)cry of a cat
- мяу́кание (mjaúkanije)cry of a cat
- мя́у (mjáu)cry of a cat
- мяу́кать (mjaúkatʹ)of a cat, to make its cry
- мяу́кнуть (mjaúknutʹ)of a cat, to make its cry
Scottish Gaelic miamha
- miamhacry of a cat
Slovak mňau, mňau
- mňaucry of a cat
- mňaucry of a cat
- mňaukaťof a cat, to make its cry
Spanish miau, ñau
- miaucry of a cat
- ñaucry of a cat
- ñewcry of a cat
- maullidocry of a cat
- maullarof a cat, to make its cry
- hacer miauof a cat, to make its cry
- miagar (Cantabria)of a cat, to make its cry
Swedish mjau, mjau
- mjaucry of a cat
- mjaucry of a cat
- jamandecry of a cat
- jamaof a cat, to make its cry
Tagalog ingaw, ngiyaw
- ingawcry of a cat
- ngiyawcry of a cat
- ingawcry of a cat
- ngiyawcry of a cat
- umingawof a cat, to make its cry
- ngumiyawof a cat, to make its cry
Tamil மியாவ்
- மியாவ் (miyāv)cry of a cat
Thai เหมียว
- เหมียว (mǐao)cry of a cat
Turkish miyav, miyav
- miyavcry of a cat
- miyavcry of a cat
- miyavlamakof a cat, to make its cry
Ukrainian няв, няв
- няв (njav)cry of a cat
- няв (njav)of a cat, to make its cry
- ня́вкати (njávkaty)of a cat, to make its cry
- ня́вкнути (njávknuty)of a cat, to make its cry
Vietnamese ngoao, ngao
- ngoaocry of a cat
- ngaocry of a cat
- meocry of a cat
- méocry of a cat
- meo meocry of a cat
- mèo mèocry of a cat
Yiddish מיאַו
- מיאַו (myau)cry of a cat
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with meow
All rhymes →Cite this entry
meow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meow
“meow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meow. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “meow,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/meow.
Source: meow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.