plural catcalls
1
: a usually loud, sexually suggestive, threatening or harassing call or remark directed at someone publicly (as on the street)
… every single time I go running in a public place without my male running partner, I am the target of catcalls.—
Natalie DeBlasio
Natalie DeBlasioSometimes sexism is obvious: a guy hurling a crude catcall from a moving car.—Kaitlin Menza
Kaitlin MenzaThey were hippies in the South, at a time when long hair provoked catcalls …—Leigh Ann Henion
Leigh Ann Henion2
: a loud or raucous cry made especially to express disapproval (as at a sports event)
Even Winslow, who led the league in catches for the second straight year, was hearing catcalls.—Rick Reilly
Rick ReillyWhen the 43-year-old came to the stage here at a university student center in the Detroit suburbs, about half of the crowd gave her a standing ovation–and the other half unleashed a chorus of boos and catcalls.—Griff Witte
Griff Witte
catcall
verb
catcalled; catcalling; catcalls
Examples of catcall in a Sentence
The pitcher heard angry catcalls as he walked off the field.
the band's sloppy playing produced only catcalls from the crowd
Recent Examples on the Web
As this incident has shown, what sounds to one person like a term of respect can feel like a catcall to another.
—Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up And President Biden’s criticism in his State of the Union address of a proposal by Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, that Democrats said would threaten Social Security and Medicare sparked an unprecedented burst of catcalls from GOP lawmakers.
—Jim Puzzanghera, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2023
This was not a vulgar catcall—I was swathed in more fabric than the Virgin Mary.
—Katharine K. Zarrella, WSJ, 2 Apr. 2022
Meet the Fighting Irish opponents, dates and locations for 2020, along with a prominent returning opposing player Indianapolis Star
SOUTH BEND — Brian Kelly hears the whispers, which sometimes probably feel more like catcalls.
—Eric Hansen, Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for catcall
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Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up And President Biden’s criticism in his State of the Union address of a proposal by Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, that Democrats said would threaten Social Security and Medicare sparked an unprecedented burst of catcalls from GOP lawmakers.
—Jim Puzzanghera, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2023
This was not a vulgar catcall—I was swathed in more fabric than the Virgin Mary.
—Katharine K. Zarrella, WSJ, 2 Apr. 2022
Meet the Fighting Irish opponents, dates and locations for 2020, along with a prominent returning opposing player Indianapolis Star
SOUTH BEND — Brian Kelly hears the whispers, which sometimes probably feel more like catcalls.
—Eric Hansen, Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2020
See All Example Sentences for catcall
Cite this Entry
“Catcall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catcall. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
catcall
noun
cat·call
-ˌkȯl 
: a sound like the cry of a cat or a noise expressing disapproval
catcall
verb
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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