1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
he was growling about how much work he had to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to roar
to make a long loud deep noise or cry
the neighbor's dog growls every time we pass the house
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of growl
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Even the cats and the larger dog weren’t safe from her protective growls.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 11 July 2025
Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
Go grab your passport, a wad of bail money, and enough thirst for wine that growls at history and food that tastes like the ocean punched you in the mouth.
—John Noakes, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for growl
Verb
The 120-pound canine's confusion resulted in a growl and a warning bite, Kashen told Newsweek via TikTok.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Even the cats and the larger dog weren’t safe from her protective growls.
—Ashley Vega, People.com, 11 July 2025
Noun
The scene’s amniotic shoppe Muzak is suddenly overridden by a deep, growling synth.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
Go grab your passport, a wad of bail money, and enough thirst for wine that growls at history and food that tastes like the ocean punched you in the mouth.
—John Noakes, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for growl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growl
Verb
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On a StudBudz stream, Courtney Williams complained about having to share space at the team’s practice area, particularly when players and other attendees of the recreation center need to shower.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Roman complains about pain in his feet, and Dennis offers him a foot massage.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The chain of landforms to the west of Kauai is so small that it was not easily spotted in the satellite images taken as Kiko roared across the Pacific toward Hawaii as a Category 4 hurricane.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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The drummer playfully taps out a beat to match the roaring engine.—
Jonathan Hawkins,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tanks rumbled through Tiananmen Square, a location that offered a stark reminder of how authoritarian states can violently crush democratic movements.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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The early-morning thunderstorms that rumbled across the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys Tuesday also produced nearly 10,000 dry lightning strikes, sparking wildfires from the Mother Lode to the grasslands of eastern Sacramento County.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Some state laws also prevent pharmacists from administering vaccines that haven’t been recommended by ACIP—a snarl that’s prompted pharmacies to limit access to COVID vaccines in more than a dozen states.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
5 Sep. 2025
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There’s the merchandise snarl that ensues when Cole Caufield decides to swap out his No. 22 for No. 13 to honor the memory of Johnny Gaudreau.—
Carol Schram,
Forbes.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Witnesses screamed in horror and fled for cover after the bullet struck Kirk in the neck.—
Michael Ruiz , Peter D'Abrosca , Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , David Spunt , CB Cotton,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Broadcast and cable networks like CNN did show some of the footage, but stopped the images and ran only audio, with the sounds of those in the crowd screaming.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The cats kept them up each night with their incessant whining and scratching at their doors.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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In lesser hands, such a question, especially from a young white male who plays guitar for a living, could come off as whining.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ellis could be heard moaning and could be seen lying on the ground.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Growl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growl. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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