What does catcall mean?
A catcall is a loud, often shrill whistle or shouted remark directed at a person, most commonly a stranger on the street, and today it almost always carries negative connotations. In its dominant modern sense, catcalling refers to unsolicited, frequently sexualised comments made at passersby — behaviour now widely recognised as a form of street harassment rather than flattery. The word has an older, theatrical meaning too: a raucous shout of disapproval from an audience, used to express scorn for a performance. Both noun and verb forms are common, so one can hear a catcall or be catcalled. The term's origin lies in the early seventeenth-century theatre, where audiences literally imitated the yowling of cats to show their displeasure. Because it sits at the centre of ongoing public conversations about public-space harassment, consent, and respect, 'catcall' remains a highly current and socially significant word in both British and American English.
A loud whistle or shouted comment, especially one of a sexual nature, directed at a passerby; also, historically, a shout of disapproval from an audience.
"A chorus of catcalls followed her down the busy high street."
The modern sense is strongly associated with street harassment and carries negative connotations.
To shout a whistle or rude comment at someone, especially a stranger in a public place.
"Construction workers catcalled the women walking past the site all afternoon."
Regular plural; often used in phrases like 'a chorus of catcalls' or 'met with catcalls'. The singular is less frequent than the plural in the disapproval sense.
"The announcement was drowned out by catcalls from the crowd."
The word began life in the theatre: audiences who disliked a performance literally cried like cats — hence 'catcall'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of catcall
Catcall originated in the English theatre of the early seventeenth century, when audiences expressed disapproval of a performance by making noises mimicking the cries of cats — the word is simply a compound of 'cat' and 'call'. Richard Lupton's 'A Thousand Notable Things' and other period sources attest to the practice of hissing and caterwauling at unpopular actors. Over time the sense broadened from theatrical jeering to any loud shout of derision, and by the twentieth century it had acquired its now-dominant meaning of a whistle or suggestive shout directed at a passerby. The word is native English in formation, with no cognates in other languages sharing the same root beyond the ordinary word 'cat'.
Related word forms
How catcall is actually used
In contemporary usage, 'catcall' most often carries strongly negative connotations, associated with street harassment of women and widely discussed in feminist discourse since the 2010s. The older theatrical sense — a jeering shout of audience disapproval — is now less common but still understood, especially in British English. As a verb it is regular (catcalled, catcalling).
Easily confused with catcall
A 'cattle call' is a mass audition or casting session for actors (or figuratively any large open tryout), while a 'catcall' is a whistle or jeering shout directed at someone.