What does meowed mean?
“Meowed” is the past tense of “meow,” the familiar verb for the sound a cat makes. It usually refers to a low, sustained cry, as in “The cat meowed at the door,” but writers often use it figuratively to describe a person making a loud, theatrical, or pleading cat-like sound. The word is straightforward and conversational rather than formal, and its meaning is generally clear from context. “Meowed” is especially common in descriptions of cats, children, and humorous speech, where imitating a cat can add personality or comic emphasis. Although “mew” is sometimes confused with “meow,” “meowed” is the conventional form for narrating the sound or action of a cat.
verbMade the characteristic cry of a cat, usually a low, sustained sound. In the past tense, “meowed” describes this action or sound.
- Made a characteristic cat-like cry or sound, typically low and prolonged.
"The cat meowed at the window until someone let it in."
"The kitten meowed softly from beneath the sofa."
"She meowed sarcastically when her friend suggested that she had forgotten the meeting."
A single “meowed” can make a cat sound conversational—especially when it seems aimed at getting your attention.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does meowed come from?
The underlying verb “meow” is an imitative word: it reproduces the sound associated with a cat rather than deriving from a longer inherited root. The form “meowed” was created by adding the regular English past-tense ending “-ed.” Related imitative spellings such as “mew” reflect the same long-established attempt in English to represent a cat’s cry.
Related word forms
How meowed is actually used
“Meowed” is the standard past-tense and past-participle form of “meow.” It is most commonly used literally of a cat, but it can also describe a person speaking in a theatrical, high-pitched, or exaggerated cat-like manner.
Easily confused with meowed
“Meowed” is the usual past-tense form of “meow,” while “mew” can mean a cat’s cry but is also a verb meaning to cry like a cat and can refer to a young cat.