growled

verb

past tense of growl
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
3
as in rumbled
to make a low heavy rolling sound I'm sorry my stomach is growling, but I'm just really hungry

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Since then, Barkley has growled at several other people, and all but one have been diagnosed with some type of cancer, Dozier said. — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026 At the other end of our road, the cranes of the docks loomed — great Stothert and Pitt machines that growled overhead like something out of Star Wars, guarding the scale and mystery of the River Thames. — Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 For Yard Act, who growled onto the world stage with a crunchy aggressive post-punk sound, slowing down (as much as workaholic rockstars can) brought them to a lighter sound. — E.r. Pulgar, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growled
  1. complained
  2. roared
  3. rumbled
  4. screamed
  5. bellowed
  6. grumbled
  7. muttered
  8. whined
Verb
  • Grevelding complained that law enforcement appeared to be doing nothing to help him or his family after the incident occurred.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • After neighbors complained last week about the diesel generators, Lisle Development Services Director Mike Smetana sent an email to CSquare requesting that the company stop using the temporary generators.
    — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • The elderly woman who was killed by a blast as severe summer storms roared through the Midwest lived in a house that was filled with cuckoo clocks that would go off every hour, on the hour, her family said.
    — Selina Guevara, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of crumbling in defeat, Rivera roared back with defiance.
    — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of roared
Verb
  • Strong thunderstorms with torrential rain rumbled through Kansas City early Thursday morning, soaking the metro with several inches of rain.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 6 Aug. 2026
  • New York City horse racing rumbled to the finish line Sunday, as Aqueduct Racetrack — in all its paint-peeling, dilapidated glory — staged the venue’s last live races, transporting aging fans to a bygone era.
    — Lili Kobielski, NBC news, 29 June 2026
Definition of rumbled
Verb
  • After being shocked with the glove, the officer screamed and dropped to the ground, briefly debilitated for the moment the glove made contact with his skin.
    — Meg Anderson, NPR, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The same trans-activists who screamed at me in legislatures and harassed me at colleges could misuse the Protect College Sports Act to challenge every single state law defending women’s athletic competition…all 27 of them.
    — Riley Gaines OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of screamed
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
Definition of bellowed
Verb
  • American consumers have grumbled about higher gas prices, but the S&P 500 is up almost 9 percent since the joint American-Israeli operation that started the war in February.
    — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026
  • The congresswoman, her staffer and I grumbled about how unpredictable the House schedule has been lately.
    — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of grumbled
Verb
  • This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of muttered
Verb
  • Post-Covid, Hollywood has whined about the falloff for MPA fare in Pan Asian territories, particularly the once-robust South Korea.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 July 2026
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of whined

Browse Nearby Words

growl
growled
growler
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Growled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growled. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on growled

Nglish: Translation of growled for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All