prowl

play

verb \ ˈprau̇(-ə)l \

Definition of prowl

intransitive verb

:to move about or wander stealthily in or as if in search of prey

transitive verb

:to roam over in a predatory manner

—

prowler

play \ˈprau̇-lər\ noun

See prowl defined for English-language learners

See prowl defined for kids

Examples of prowl in a Sentence

a tiger prowling in the jungle
He moved like a tiger prowling the jungle.
The police were prowling the streets in their patrol cars.
He liked to prowl the streets late at night.
I prowled the store looking for sales.
I prowled through the store looking for sales.

Recent Examples of prowl from the Web

Instead of anger and decisive ferocity, there was nuance and prudence from the police, despite the fact that there were protesters in Charlottesville who came armed with rifles, looking like a military unit prowling the streets.

— lincoln anthony blades, Teen Vogue, "Dear Police, Why Are You Treating White Supremacists Better Than Nonviolent Black Activists?," 18 Aug. 2017
The Enquirer/Scott Springer FAIRFIELD - Just past Jungle Jim's on Route 4 in Fairfield there are a couple other monstrous figures prowling about the football field.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Fairfield fertile with Division I recruits," 4 Aug. 2017
Your avatar is just a person wearing a T-shirt and khakis, rather than a soldier prowling through a war zone.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Apocalyptic Appeal of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," 11 July 2017
He's seen prowling the practice fields in Berea reminding his linebackers of his simple philosophy.

— dan labbe, cleveland.com, "All or Nothing: What the NFL Films show tells us about Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams," 6 July 2017
LONGUTE, South Sudan — In this village near the Ugandan border, vultures constantly hover in the sky and dogs prowl the streets.

— tonny onyulo, USA TODAY, "In South Sudan, every male child is a soldier in devastating civil war," 5 July 2017
A man who was shot in the leg during a dispute with another man on Capitol Hill early Thursday morning may have been prowling cars, Seattle police say.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Man shot in leg near Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park," 15 June 2017
Music blares from speakers, robot golf bags prowl the wider aisles.

— tom chiarella, Popular Mechanics, "The Keepers of the Game," 14 June 2017
Aaron Donald slowly prowled around the Cal Lutheran practice field, clad in camouflage workout pants with a sweatshirt hood over his head.

— rich hammond, Orange County Register, "Aaron Donald reports to Rams mini-camp, but sits out drills," 13 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prowl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of prowl

Middle English prollen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

prowl

noun

Definition of prowl

:an act or instance of prowling

— on the prowl

:in the act of prowling; also :in search of something

his fourth wife had just left him, and he was on the prowl again
—Mary McCarthy

See prowl defined for English-language learners

Examples of prowl in a Sentence

a prowl through the bookshop

Recent Examples of prowl from the Web

Amazon’s growing mass has also created a gravitational pull for other big tech companies on the prowl for employees.

— mike rosenberg and angel gonzalez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Thanks to Amazon, Seattle is now America’s biggest company town," 28 Aug. 2017
Juventus boss Max Allegri is on the prowl for some midfield reinforcement.

— SI.com, "Roma Star Reportedly Agrees Terms With Juventus Who'll Offer Juan Cuadrado in Swap Deal," 21 Aug. 2017
Car prowls are not included in the overall crime index statistics, which are violent and property crimes combined.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Rancho Bernardo crime trends show improvement," 17 Aug. 2017
Like a lot of other executives, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was on the prowl for pitching.

— ben walker, The Seattle Times, "On the go! Darvish, Gray dealt on busy trade deadline day," 31 July 2017
The agency has also taken steps to address car prowls and vehicle thefts at Park & Ride lots.

— elliot njus, OregonLive.com, "Crime flat on TriMet, agency says, but data lacking," 26 July 2017
Because Instagram can be a bona fide playground for internet bullies on the prowl, its developers have released two new tools designed to make the social-media platform a friendlier place.

— elizabeth narins, Cosmopolitan, "This New Instagram Tool Silences Internet Bullies," 30 June 2017
But a study published in 2011 found that 88 percent of bear attacks were by male black bears on the prowl for food.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "Two Rare Black Bear Attacks Show Rise in Conflict With People," 20 June 2017
There’s nothing better than witnessing the unharnessed aggression of a hungry bass on the prowl.

— jordan rodriguez, idahostatesman, "Attack of Gillzilla — my run-in with a monstrous bluegill at Halverson Lake," 6 June 2017

First Known Use of prowl

1803

PROWL Defined for English Language Learners

prowl

play

verb

Definition of prowl for English Language Learners

of an animal : to move quietly through an area while hunting
: to move through a place or area especially while searching for something often in a quiet or secret way