growled; growling; growls
1
a
: rumble
his stomach growled
b
: to utter a growl
the dog growled at the stranger
2
: to complain angrily
: to utter with a growl : utter angrily
: a deep guttural inarticulate sound
Examples of growl in a Sentence
Verb
I could hear a dog growling behind me.
My stomach's been growling all morning.
“What do you want?” he growled.
He's always growling about the government.
Noun
The dog gave a menacing growl.
He answered my question with a growl.
We could hear a growl of thunder in the distance.
Recent Examples on the Web
Katie Rife, IndieWire, 21 Sep. 2025
Food insecurity doesn’t necessarily mean kids are going to bed with growling stomachs every night.
—Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
The scents of soy, garlic, and mirin made Charlie’s stomach growl.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for growl
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Hawke returns too, grumbling and growling behind a rubber mask (and, eventually, some grisly prosthetics).
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 21 Sep. 2025
Food insecurity doesn’t necessarily mean kids are going to bed with growling stomachs every night.
—Oona Hanson, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
My poetry began as a father’s sly growl, became a spectacle on a rickety stage washed in limelight, and now is a 70-year-old woman’s walk back into a thousand yesterdays.
—Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 6 Oct. 2025
The scents of soy, garlic, and mirin made Charlie’s stomach growl.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for growl
Cite this Entry
“Growl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/growl. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share