Standard Lemma guide

meow

intj · noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /miˈaʊ/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: [mjaʊ̯]
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aʊ
  • CMU ARPABET: M IY0 AW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

intj

Meaning 1

Used to indicate the cry of a cat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mew, miaow, nya, nyaa, nyan, nyao

Antonyms: none provided

2

intj

Meaning 2

Used in reply to a spiteful or catty comment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: handbags

Antonyms: none provided

3

intj

Meaning 3

Used to express seductiveness, mimicking a growl.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The cry of a cat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The drug mephedrone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK, slang, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drone, meow meow

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

Of a cat, to make its cry.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mew, miaow

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

the sound made by a cat (or any sound resembling this)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mew, miaou, miaow, miaul

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cry

8

verb

Meaning 8

cry like a cat

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the cat meowed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mew

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: utter, emit, let out, let loose

History

Etymology

Alteration of earlier mew, from Middle English mewen, mouwen (“to mew, meow”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Saterland Frisian mauje, miauje (“to meow”), West Frisian miaukje (“to meow”), Dutch miauwen (“to meow”), Middle Low German mauwen, mawen, mouwen (“to meow”) (whence modern German Low German mauen, miauen (“to meow”)), Middle High German mouen, modern German miauen (“to meow”). Some spellings were modelled on French miaou. Meow and its spelling variants entered widespread currency in the 19th century, mostly replacing mew, possibly because phonetic change meant that word had ceased to approximate a cat's cry (contrast the pronunciation of Middle English mewen /ˈmɛu̯ən/ compared to modern /ˈmjuː/). (mephedrone): Perhaps because of the drug's distinctive smell resembling cat urine.

Across languages

Translations

228 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: mjáu — cry of a cat
  • Arabic: مُوَاء (muwāʔ) — cry of a cat
  • Azerbaijani: miyov — cry of a cat
  • Bashkir: мыяу (mıyaw) — cry of a cat
  • Belarusian: мяў (mjaw) — cry of a cat
  • Belarusian: мяу (mjau) — cry of a cat
  • Bengali: ম্যাঁ (mễ) — cry of a cat
  • Bengali: ম্যাঁও (mễō) — cry of a cat
  • Central Bikol: ngiyaw — cry of a cat
  • Bulgarian: мя́у (mjáu) — cry of a cat
  • Catalan: meu — cry of a cat
  • Chinese Cantonese: 喵 (miu1) — cry of a cat
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喵 (miāo) — cry of a cat
  • Chinese Mandarin: 咪咪 (mīmī) — cry of a cat
  • Czech: mňau — cry of a cat
  • Danish: mjav — cry of a cat
  • Danish: miav — cry of a cat
  • Dutch: miauw — cry of a cat
  • Dzongkha: སྨེ (sme) — cry of a cat
  • Esperanto: miaŭ — cry of a cat
  • Estonian: mäu — cry of a cat
  • Estonian: näu — cry of a cat
  • Estonian: mjäu — cry of a cat
  • Estonian: njäu — cry of a cat
  • Faroese: mjarr — cry of a cat
  • Faroese: mjavv — cry of a cat
  • Finnish: miau — cry of a cat
  • Finnish: mau — cry of a cat
  • French: miaou — cry of a cat
  • Galician: miau — cry of a cat
  • German: miau — cry of a cat
  • German: maunz — cry of a cat
  • Greek: νιάου (niáou) — cry of a cat
  • Hawaiian: ʻoau — cry of a cat
  • Hawaiian: ʻowau — cry of a cat
  • Hebrew: מיאו — cry of a cat
  • Hindi: म्याऊँ (myāū̃) — cry of a cat
  • Hungarian: miau — cry of a cat
  • Icelandic: mjá — cry of a cat
  • Indonesian: meong — cry of a cat
  • Interlingua: miau — cry of a cat
  • Irish: míáú — cry of a cat
  • Italian: miao — cry of a cat
  • Japanese: にゃあ (nyā) — cry of a cat
  • Japanese: にゃん (nyan) — cry of a cat
  • Jarai: meo — cry of a cat
  • Kabyle: mεiw — cry of a cat
  • Kannada: ಮಿಯಾವ್ (miyāv) — cry of a cat
  • Kazakh: мияу (miäu) — cry of a cat
  • Khmer: ង៉ាវៗ (ŋaav-ŋaav) — cry of a cat
  • Korean: 야옹 (yaong) — cry of a cat
  • Central Kurdish: میاو (myaw) — cry of a cat
  • Northern Kurdish: miyaw — cry of a cat
  • Lao: ເຫມີວຍາ (miao) — cry of a cat
  • Latgalian: ņau — cry of a cat
  • Latin: miau — cry of a cat
  • Latvian: ņau — cry of a cat
  • Latvian: mjau — cry of a cat
  • Lithuanian: miau — cry of a cat
  • Luxembourgish: miau — cry of a cat
  • Malay: ngeong — cry of a cat
  • Malay: miau — cry of a cat
  • Malay: ngiau — cry of a cat
  • Mongolian: мяу (mjau) — cry of a cat
  • Nepali: म्याउ (myāu) — cry of a cat
  • Norwegian: mjau — cry of a cat
  • Persian: میو (miyu) — cry of a cat
  • Polish: miau — cry of a cat
  • Portuguese: miau — cry of a cat
  • Romanian: miau — cry of a cat
  • Romanian: miorlau — cry of a cat
  • Russian: мя́у (mjáu) — cry of a cat
  • Scottish Gaelic: miamha — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: мјау — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: мњау — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: mjau — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: mnjau — cry of a cat
  • Slovak: mňau — cry of a cat
  • Slovene: mjav — cry of a cat
  • Spanish: miau — cry of a cat
  • Spanish: ñau — cry of a cat
  • Spanish: ñew — cry of a cat
  • Swedish: mjau — cry of a cat
  • Tagalog: ingaw — cry of a cat
  • Tagalog: ngiyaw — cry of a cat
  • Tamil: மியாவ் (miyāv) — cry of a cat
  • Telugu: మ్యావ్ (myāv) — cry of a cat
  • Thai: เหมียว (mǐao) — cry of a cat
  • Northern Thai: ᩉ᩠ᨾᩢ᩠ᨿ᩠ᩅ — cry of a cat
  • Turkish: miyav — cry of a cat
  • Turkmen: maw — cry of a cat
  • Ukrainian: няв (njav) — cry of a cat
  • Vietnamese: ngoao — cry of a cat
  • Vietnamese: ngao — cry of a cat
  • Vietnamese: meo — cry of a cat
  • Vietnamese: méo — cry of a cat
  • Volapük: miov — cry of a cat
  • Yiddish: מיאַו (myau) — cry of a cat
  • Zazaki: niyaw — cry of a cat
  • Armenian: մլավոց (mlavocʻ) — cry of a cat
  • Bulgarian: мяу (mjau) — cry of a cat
  • Catalan: miol — cry of a cat
  • Chinese Cantonese: 喵 (meu1) — cry of a cat
  • Chinese Mandarin: 貓叫聲 /猫叫声 (māojiàoshēng) — cry of a cat
  • Czech: mňoukání — cry of a cat
  • Czech: zamňoukání — cry of a cat
  • Danish: miau — cry of a cat
  • Dutch: gemiauw — cry of a cat
  • Esperanto: miaŭo — cry of a cat
  • Finnish: nau’unta — cry of a cat
  • Finnish: naukuminen — cry of a cat
  • Finnish: naukuna — cry of a cat
  • French: miaou — cry of a cat
  • French: miaulement — cry of a cat
  • French: nyaw — cry of a cat
  • German: Miau — cry of a cat
  • German: Miauen — cry of a cat
  • German: Maunzen — cry of a cat
  • German: Gemaunze — cry of a cat
  • Greek: νιαούρισμα (niaoúrisma) — cry of a cat
  • Icelandic: mjálm — cry of a cat
  • Ido: miaulo — cry of a cat
  • Irish: meamhlach — cry of a cat
  • Japanese: にゃ (nya) — cry of a cat
  • Japanese: ニャー (nyā) — cry of a cat
  • Kapampangan: miyaw — cry of a cat
  • Kapampangan: ngeung — cry of a cat
  • Latvian: ņaudiens — cry of a cat
  • Malay: ngiauan — cry of a cat
  • Polish: miauczenie — cry of a cat
  • Polish: miauk — cry of a cat
  • Portuguese: miado — cry of a cat
  • Quechua: miyaw ñiy — cry of a cat
  • Romanian: mieunat — cry of a cat
  • Romanian: miorlăit — cry of a cat
  • Russian: мяу́кание (mjaúkanije) — cry of a cat
  • Russian: мя́у (mjáu) — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: мјаукање — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: мјаук — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: mjaukanje — cry of a cat
  • Serbo-Croatian: mjauk — cry of a cat
  • Slovene: mjavkanje — cry of a cat
  • Spanish: maullido — cry of a cat
  • Swedish: mjau — cry of a cat
  • Swedish: jamande — cry of a cat
  • Vietnamese: meo meo — cry of a cat
  • Vietnamese: mèo mèo — cry of a cat
  • Hindi: म्याऊं म्याऊं (myāū̃ myāū̃) — mephedrone
  • Arabic: مَاءَ (māʔa) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Arabic: تَمَوَّأَ (tamawwaʔa) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Armenian: մլավել (mlavel) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Azerbaijani: miyovuldamaq — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Azerbaijani: miyoldamaq — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Belarusian: мя́ўкаць (mjáwkacʹ) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Belarusian: мя́ўкнуць (mjáwknucʹ) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Catalan: miolar — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 貓叫 /猫叫 (māojiào) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Chinese Mandarin: 咪咪叫 (mīmī jiào) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Crimean Tatar: miyavlamaq — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Czech: mňoukat — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Czech: mňouknout — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Danish: mjave — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Dutch: miauwen — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Esperanto: miaŭi — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Estonian: näuguma — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Estonian: kräunuma — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Faroese: mjarra — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Faroese: mjavma — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Faroese: mjavva — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Faroese: mjóma — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Finnish: naukua — of a cat, to make its cry
  • French: miauler — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Galician: miañar — of a cat, to make its cry
  • German: miauen — of a cat, to make its cry
  • German: maunzen — of a cat, to make its cry
  • German: mauzen — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Greek: νιαουρίζω (niaourízo) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Hungarian: nyávog — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Icelandic: mjálma — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Ido: miaular — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Indonesian: mengeong — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Indonesian: mengiau — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Interlingua: miaular — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Italian: miagolare — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Japanese: にゃあと鳴く (nyā to naku) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Japanese: 鳴く (naku) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Kapampangan: magmiyaw — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Kapampangan: magngeung — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Kazakh: мияулау (miäulau) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Korean: 야옹하다 (yaonghada) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Central Kurdish: میاواندن (myawandin) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Northern Kurdish: miyawandin — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Latin: felio — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Latin: maumo — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Latvian: ņaudēt — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Lithuanian: miauksėti — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Malay: mengeong — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Mongolian: мяалах (mjaalax) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Norman: miaûner — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Norman: vioûler — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Norwegian: mjaue — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Polish: miauczeć — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Portuguese: miar — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Romanian: mieuna — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Romanian: miorlăi — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Russian: мяу́кать (mjaúkatʹ) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Russian: мяу́кнуть (mjaúknutʹ) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Serbo-Croatian: мјаукати — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Serbo-Croatian: мјаукнути — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Serbo-Croatian: mjaukati — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Serbo-Croatian: mjauknuti — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Slovak: mňaukať — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Slovene: mjavkati — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Spanish: maullar — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Spanish: hacer miau — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Spanish: miagar (Cantabria) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Swedish: jama — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Tagalog: umingaw — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Tagalog: ngumiyaw — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Turkish: miyavlamak — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Turkmen: mawlamak — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Ukrainian: няв (njav) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Ukrainian: ня́вкати (njávkaty) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Ukrainian: ня́вкнути (njávknuty) — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Uzbek: miyovlamoq — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Venetan: znjaołar — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Volapük: miovön — of a cat, to make its cry
  • Zazaki: niyawayene — of a cat, to make its cry