What does miauling mean?
Miauling means making a high-pitched, sustained cry resembling the call of a cat. The word is most often used for cats demanding food, attention, entry, or company, although it can also describe dogs, small children, and other figures producing a similar cry. Its sound and meaning have a strongly imitative character: the pronunciation recalls the distinctive cry it names. In everyday use, miauling can carry a mildly humorous or gently critical connotation when applied to a person who is complaining loudly and persistently. As a verb, it takes the usual third-person singular form miauls and the past forms miauled and miauling. In figurative descriptions, the word may evoke repeated vocal protests, such as a child miauling in a shop or a group of people loudly objecting. It is especially vivid when used to evoke the unmistakable sound of a cat, but it remains flexible enough for broader figurative use.
verbTo make a prolonged, high-pitched cry resembling the sound made by a cat. It can also describe a person or animal producing a similarly sharp, complaining cry.
- To utter a sustained, high-pitched cry like that of a cat, especially from distress, hunger, or a desire for attention.
"The cat sat on the windowsill, miauling for someone to let it in."
"The kitten miauled until its owner came home."
"She could hear the dog miauling behind the closed gate."
Miauling owes its sound to an imitative origin: the word is designed to sound like the piercing call its speakers make.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does miauling come from?
Miauling comes from the verb miaul, which was borrowed from French miauler. The French word is imitative in origin, formed to represent the high-pitched cry of a cat. English later developed the form miaul and the present participle miauling while preserving the distinctive long vowel and /l/ sound.
How miauling is actually used
The verb is most commonly associated with cats, but it can describe any loud, high-pitched, repetitive cry. In figurative use, it often suggests a sustained and somewhat comical complaint.