What does mawed mean?
Mawed is chiefly used as an informal adjective meaning exhausted, worn out, or drained of physical, mental, or emotional energy. It often appears in the emphatic phrase “mawed out,” as in someone who has worked, cared for others, or worried for too long and has nothing left. The word carries a more intense and colloquial tone than “tired” and can suggest not merely lack of sleep but complete depletion. Mawed also functions as the past tense and past participle of the relatively uncommon verb “maw,” meaning to eat, consume, or devour greedily. This older sense creates a vivid connection between being physically spent and being consumed. Although the adjective is encountered in both British and American English, it is more natural in informal British usage than in formal writing.
Exhausted, drained, or worn out, especially through mental or emotional strain.
"By Friday, she was mawed out after three nights of little sleep."
Informal; especially common in the expression “mawed out.”
Consumed or devoured greedily; the past tense and past participle of maw.
"The animals mawed the remains with little restraint."
Uncommon and more typical of literary or deliberately forceful contexts.
Mawed turns exhaustion into an image of being completely consumed, just as its older verb sense describes devouring something greedily.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does mawed come from?
The word belongs to the English verb “maw,” recorded in Middle English and continued from Old English mawan, meaning to devour or consume. The modern adjectival sense of “mawed out” uses the image of someone consumed by exertion or strain. Related forms include the noun “maw” and the present participle “mawing.”
Related word forms
How mawed is actually used
The adjective sense is informal and often appears in the expression “mawed out.” The verbal senses are uncommon and tend to sound literary or deliberately graphic.
Easily confused with mawed
Mawed can describe someone exhausted or something greedily devoured, whereas maul usually means to strike or batter something violently.