growl

GROWL/ɡɹaʊl/

12 meanings of growl

1
nouncountable
A deep, angry sound that an animal makes in its throat.
Like the low sound of thunder far away, but coming from an animal.
The dog let out a low growl when the stranger came near.
We heard a growl from the bushes and froze.
Similarsnarl, rumble
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2
verbintransitive
To make a deep, angry sound, the way an angry animal does.
Like the low, rumbling noise you make in your throat when you are angry.
The dog began to growl as the mail carrier approached.
Wolves growl when they feel threatened.
Similarsnarl, gnarl
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3
nouncountable
A deep, angry sound that a person makes, like an animal's growl.
He gave a growl of annoyance when his alarm went off.
She answered with a growl, still half asleep.
Similarsnarl, grunt, groan
4
nouncountable
The rumbling sound your stomach makes when you are hungry.
Like a low, rumbling noise coming from inside your belly.
My stomach gave a loud growl during the quiet meeting.
I heard a growl from my belly and knew it was lunchtime.
Similarrumble, gurgle
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5
verbtransitive
To say something in a deep, angry voice.
The sergeant will growl orders if you're late.
He growled a curse under his breath.
Similarsnarl, bark, grumble, mutter, grunt
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6
nouncountable
A low, grumbling sound that someone makes when angry.
Like the rumbling sound a dog makes before it barks.
He gave an angry growl and slammed his fist on the table.
With an angry growl, he pushed the heavy door shut.
Similargrumble, snarl, mutter
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7
verbintransitive
To sing using a deep, harsh, growling voice, as in heavy metal music.
The singer began to growl into the microphone as the song got heavier.
Fans cheered when he started to growl during the chorus.
8
nouncountable
A deep, harsh, growling singing style used in heavy metal music.
The metal track opens with a thunderous growl from the lead singer.
Critics praised the raw power of his growl on the new album.
9
nouncountable
A low, rumbling sound made on a horn or other wind instrument.
The trumpet player added a rough growl to the end of the solo.
You can hear a deep growl in the old jazz recording.
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10
verbintransitive
When a wind instrument makes a low, rumbling sound.
The trumpet seemed to growl during the bluesy solo.
Old brass instruments can growl in a way modern ones rarely do.
Similarrumble
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11
verbtransitive
To play a horn or other wind instrument so it makes a low, rumbling sound.
She can growl a trombone better than anyone in the band.
He growled his trumpet through the whole solo.
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12
verbintransitive
To send someone a pop-up message using the Growl software.
Like a doorbell that rings to tell you someone has arrived.
The app will growl whenever a new email arrives.
You can set the program to growl when a download finishes.
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Practice

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Origin

From Middle English groulen, used of the rumbling of the bowels. It may come from Old French or from Germanic roots, and was probably imitative of the sound.