1
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
he was growling about how much work he had to do
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in roared
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
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.
Recent Examples of growled
Jack White, who growled and grinded as the singer/guitarist of the White Stripes and has since positioned himself as a primal rock god on his own, is showing a new side as a sculptor with a show opening in a London gallery run by none other than Damien Hirst.
—
Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Mira growled into her watch, excitedly.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The wereboar growled next to Black Pudding, a hulking vicious monster, both focused on ripping Puck and Cordelia to shreds.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The jaguar growled, whirled and bit off the protruding head of the arrow.
—Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Come on, the gunman growled, turning and walking and beckoning with the pistol for Adi to follow.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The dog growled and Esposito slowed his pace.
—René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2026
Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 22 May 2026
Mira growled into her watch, excitedly.
—Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
The wereboar growled next to Black Pudding, a hulking vicious monster, both focused on ripping Puck and Cordelia to shreds.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The jaguar growled, whirled and bit off the protruding head of the arrow.
—Delbert L. Chears, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026
Come on, the gunman growled, turning and walking and beckoning with the pistol for Adi to follow.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The dog growled and Esposito slowed his pace.
—René Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growled
Verb
-
On the final stop on the tour, the Markley people wanted to show the emergency generators that neighbors have complained about.—
David Wade,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
The cancer was discovered in her liver, kidney and lung following a series of tests after Anna complained about experiencing stomach aches.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The crowd in Houston roared to life.—
Russell Lewis,
NPR,
23 June 2026
-
More than three dozen tornado reports were logged Sunday into Monday by the Storm Prediction Center, as supercell thunderstorms roared across the region.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Elijah Just rumbled toward the box and seemed to pinball around the Iranian defense.—
Iliana Limón Romero,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
Albertsons Stadium rumbled Saturday night as monster truck madness took over the unrecognizable blue turf with a roaring, fiery, wheelie-popping spectacle.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Elena called for Harold, who ran out in his boxers — both men screamed at each other and threatened to call the cops.—
Olivia Bensimon,
Curbed,
17 June 2026
-
As the clock ran out, years of pain were screamed out in Frost Bank Center as the Spurs’ home court sounded like it was parked in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
Harbour bellowed as co-star Winona Ryder, by his side, made an expression of amazement that turned into a meme.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
After one match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December 2021, when City had won 1-0 but had played sloppily in the final minutes, Guardiola bellowed at the subs and youth teamers who had not actually contributed.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
While diehards have grumbled about the two intervals, which enable media partners to air as many as 10 in-match commercials per game, the opportunity to squeeze some extra revenue out of the FIFA mandate has been too lucrative for Fox to pass up.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
17 June 2026
-
Fans grumbled and became apathetic.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Traffic hummed and whined on I-85.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
13 May 2026
-
Second, in a report of their own, the pro-business commissioners whined that all of this was unfair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Growled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growled. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
