What does miauled mean?
To miaul is to make a sustained, high-pitched cry resembling the wail of a cat, particularly a kitten. The verb is most often used literally: a hungry cat may miauled at the door, while a kitten separated from its mother may miauled repeatedly. It can also be applied more broadly to a person or another animal making a similar sound, often in a tone of complaint, and figuratively to a sound such as wind that resembles a cat's cry. Miauled is the past tense and past participle of miaul, while miauling is the present participle. Although mewed can be used in a related way, miaul is more specific and suggests a louder, more drawn-out sound. The word is uncommon in everyday prose but useful when the feline quality of a cry is central to the description.
verbTo make a prolonged, high-pitched cry like a cat, especially a kitten. It can also describe a person or animal making a similar complaining sound.
- To make the prolonged, high-pitched cry characteristic of a cat, especially a kitten.
- To make a sustained complaint or protesting sound likened to a cat's cry.
"The cat miauled insistently outside the kitchen until it was let in."
"The kitten miauled from beneath the sofa for several minutes."
"Outside, the wind miauled through the narrow gap beneath the door."
A cat's distinctive drawn-out wail has a verb all to itself: to miaul.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does miauled come from?
Miaul comes from French miauler, meaning "to mew like a cat." The French word is generally understood as imitative of the sound made by a cat. The English verb entered use during the 19th century, while miauled is the standard past-tense and past-participle form.
Related word forms
How miauled is actually used
The word is relatively uncommon but precise and expressive. It is most naturally used for cats or for sounds deliberately compared to a cat's cry; it is not a general synonym for crying.
Easily confused with miauled
Miauled specifically describes a sustained, high-pitched catlike cry, whereas mew more often refers to the softer cry of a cat or a person's complaint.
Miauled is characteristic of a cat or catlike sound, while a yowl is a louder cry often associated with people, dogs, or pain.