1
as in complains
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 roars
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 growls
John Noakes, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
Go grab your passport, a wad of bail money, and enough thirst for wine that growls at history and food that tastes like the ocean punched you in the mouth.
—John Noakes, Hartford Courant, 12 Aug. 2025
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for growls
Verb
-
Roman complains about pain in his feet, and Dennis offers him a foot massage.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Next morning at breakfast Amby complains grandly of his soreness.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The powerful forces can make the difference between a hurricane that roars ashore and one that spins relatively harmlessly out to sea.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The movie roars to life but seemingly forgets to breathe.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
At the mall’s free Rain Show feature, water literally pours out of the ceiling as dramatic thunder rumbles.—
Alex Schechter,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Aug. 2025
-
When a military convoy rumbles past, no one seems to notice.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Beyond the general inconvenience of snarls, skipping out on detangling can compromise both your hair’s health and its styling potential.—
Annie Blackman,
Glamour,
11 Aug. 2025
-
Traffic snarls in the Brickell area are nothing new.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
For Bear, the new arrangement is great about 99 percent of the time… the only drawback is that Nikki occasionally snaps back into her old self and screams in utter terror for a few seconds, before resuming the love-bombing.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Nothing screams summer like corn on the cob, simply buttered and salted.—
SAVEUR Editors,
Saveur,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Growls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/growls. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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