Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Meow

Me-ow′

,

Verb.

I.

&

Noun.

See 6th and 7th

.

Definition 2024

meow

meow

English

A pleading cat.

Alternative forms

meu
mew
miaow, miaou (UK)

Interjection

meow

The cry of a cat.
Said in reply to a spiteful or catty comment.
Said to denote seductiveness, mimicking a growl.

Synonyms

nyao

Translations

cry of a cat

Arabic: مُؤَاء ‎(muʾāʾ)
Belarusian: мяў ‎(mjaŭ), мяу ‎(mjau)
Catalan: mèu (ca) m
Chinese:

Cantonese: 喵 ‎(miu¹)

Mandarin: 喵 (zh) ‎(miāo), 咪咪 (zh) ‎(mīmī)
Czech: mňau (cs)
Danish: mjav (da), miav
Dutch: miauw (nl)
Esperanto: miaŭ (eo)
Estonian: mjäu / näu
Faroese: mjarr, mjavv
Finnish: miau (fi), mau (fi)
French: miaou (fr), miaulement (fr) m
German: miau (de)
Greek: νιάου (el) ‎(niáou)
Hungarian: miau (hu)
Icelandic: mjá (is)
Indonesian: meong (id)
Interlingua: miau
Italian: miao (it)
Japanese: ニャー ‎(nyā), ニャン ‎(nyan)
Khmer: ង៉ាវៗ ‎(ŋaav-ŋaav)
Korean: 야옹 (ko) ‎(yaong)

Latgalian: ņau
Latvian: ņau, mjau
Lithuanian: miau (lt)
Luxembourgish: miau
Malay: ngeong, miau, ngiau
Norwegian: mjau (no)
Persian: میو ‎(miyu)
Polish: miau (pl)
Portuguese: miau (pt)
Romanian: miau (ro)
Russian: мя́у (ru) ‎(mjáu)
Scottish Gaelic: miamha
Serbo-Croatian: мјау ‎(mjau), мњау ‎(mnjau)
Slovak: mňau
Slovene: mjav
Spanish: miau (es), ñau (es), maullido (es) m, ñew m
Swedish: mjau (sv)
Tagalog: ingaw, ngiyaw
Tamil: மியாவ் ‎(miyāv)
Thai: เหมียว ‎(mĭeow)
Turkish: miyav (tr)
Ukrainian: няв ‎(njav)
Vietnamese: ngoao (vi), meo (vi)
Volapük: miov
Yiddish: מיאַו ‎(myau)

said in reply to a spiteful comment

Noun

meow ‎(plural meows)

The cry of a cat.
(Britain, slang, uncountable) The drug mephedrone.

Derived terms

Translations

cry of a cat

Arabic: مُوَاء (ar) m ‎(muwāʾ)
Armenian: մլավոց (hy) ‎(mlavocʿ)
Bulgarian: мяу ‎(mjau)
Catalan: miol (ca) m
Chinese:

Cantonese: 喵 ‎(miu¹)

Mandarin: 喵 (zh) ‎(miāo), 咪咪 (zh) ‎(mīmī), 貓叫聲 (zh), 猫叫声 (zh) ‎(māojiàoshēng)
Czech: mňoukání (cs) n, zamňoukání n
Danish: miav, mjav (da), miau (da)
Dutch: miauw (nl), gemiauw n
Estonian: mjäu, näu
Faroese: mjarr
Finnish: nau'unta, naukuminen (fi), naukuna
French: miaou (fr) m, nyaw f
Georgian:
German: Miau (de) n, Gemiaue n, Gemaunze n, Miauen n
Greek: νιαούρισμα (el) n ‎(niaoúrisma)
Icelandic: mjálm (is) n
Ido: miaulo (io)
Indonesian: meong (id)

Interlingua: miau
Italian: miao (it)
Japanese: にゃ ‎(nya), にゃあ (ja) ‎(nyā), ニャア ‎(nyā)
Korean: 야옹 (ko) ‎(yaong)
Latvian: ņaudiens m
Lithuanian: miau (lt)
Malay: ngeong, ngiau, ngiauan
Norwegian: mjau (no)
Polish: miauczenie (pl) n, miauk m
Portuguese: miado (pt)
Romanian: mieunat (ro) n
Russian: мяу́кание (ru) n ‎(mjaúkanije), мя́у (ru) n ‎(mjáu)
Serbo-Croatian: мјаукање n ‎(mjaukanje), мјаук m ‎(mjauk)
Slovak: mňau
Slovene: mjavkanje n
Spanish: miau (es) m, maullido (es) m
Swedish: mjau (sv) n, jamande (sv) n
Tagalog: ingaw, ngiyaw
Turkish: miyav (tr)
Vietnamese: meo meo
Volapük: miov

Verb

meow ‎(third-person singular simple present meows, present participle meowing, simple past and past participle meowed)

(intransitive) Of a cat, to make its cry.

Synonyms

mew

Translations

of a cat, to make its cry

Arabic: تَمَوَّءَ ‎(tamawwaʾa)
Armenian: մլավել (hy) ‎(mlavel)
Catalan: miolar (ca)
Chinese:

Cantonese:

Mandarin: 貓叫 (zh), 猫叫 (zh) ‎(māojiào), 咪咪叫 (zh) ‎(mīmī jiào)
Crimean Tatar: miyavlamaq
Czech: mňoukat (cs)
Dutch: miauwen (nl)
Esperanto: miaŭi
Estonian: näuguma, kräunuma
Faroese: mjarra, mjavma, mjavva, mjóma
Finnish: naukua (fi)
French: miauler (fr)
Georgian:
German: miauen (de), maunzen (de)
Greek: νιαουρίζω (el) ‎(niaourízo)
Hungarian: nyávog (hu)
Icelandic: mjálma

Ido: miaular (io)
Interlingua: miaular
Italian: miagolare (it)
Japanese: にゃあと鳴く ‎(にゃあとなく, nyā to naku), 鳴く (ja) ‎(なく, naku)
Norman: miaûner, vioûler
Korean: 야옹하다 ‎(yaonghada)
Latvian: ņaudēt
Lithuanian: miauksėti
Norwegian: mjaue (no)
Polish: miauczeć (pl)
Portuguese: miar (pt)
Romanian: mieuna (ro), miorlăi (ro)
Russian: мяу́кать (ru) impf ‎(mjaúkatʹ), мяу́кнуть (ru) pf ‎(mjaúknutʹ) (semelfactive)
Serbo-Croatian: мјаукати ‎(mjaukati), мјаукнути ‎(mjauknuti)
Slovene: mjavkati
Spanish: maullar (es)
Swedish: jama (sv)
Tagalog: umingaw, ngumiyaw
Turkish: miyavlamak (tr)
Volapük: miovön (vo)