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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of growl
Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
The veteran center has been known to whip a towel at the bench or flip a middle finger at an opponent or growl at his teammates to go away during walk-off interviews.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for growl
Verb
Customers miss the growling revving of gas vehicles with noisy internal combustion engines, the CEO noted.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Noun
Then the entrepreneurial growl.
—Neil Senturia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
The veteran center has been known to whip a towel at the bench or flip a middle finger at an opponent or growl at his teammates to go away during walk-off interviews.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for growl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growl
Verb
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An employee reached out to Summers and Taylor to complain.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Coaches Dawn Staley of South Carolina and Geno Auriemma of UConn had a heated courtside exchange afterward as Auriemma, in character, complained about the officiating and proved an ungracious loser, but at least apologized a day later.—
Greg Cote
April 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Astros roar back After falling to the A’s 11-4 on Friday night, Houston took advantage of shaky pitching to win for the sixth time in seven games while dropping the A’s to a Major League Baseball-worst 0-4 in day games.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
5 Apr. 2026
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Where their debut roars, jabbing with hooks, Two Wheels Move the Soul instead inverts the noise until the sound becomes pillowy and comforting.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In the footage, a plume of dust can be seen rising from the mountainside as a loud, rumbling sound echoes through the area.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
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Big Boy rumbled through Northern California in 2014, but with fewer stops than are planned this year.—
Brooke Park,
San Francisco Chronicle,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Visiting is free, and public transit is recommended due to the traffic snarls along the National Mall (especially on the weekend).—
Adele Chapin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Apr. 2026
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As Ross, Martin’s friend and confidante, Kevin Singer has the insinuating righteousness of a slinky cat, his line readings all mews and snarls.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For families This hotel doesn’t scream family-friendly and there’s no kids’ menu in the restaurants.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
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Martens plans to scream, if not louder, than with more originality.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Or get ready for a lot of groaning and whining.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
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With LeBron James buying into a supporting actor role, the Lakers are a legitimate threat because Doncic is more focused on scoring buckets than whining to officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Past albums like Lyfë and 2093 were best experienced as hourslong excursions into illegible rage-rap experiences that washed over the listener, with Yeat’s voice muttering his harmonies amid glitchy laptop bangers.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
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In fact, the director was egging me on, encouraging me to go further with the hunching and muttering.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Growl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growl. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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