as in to whimper
to utter feeble plaintive cries
the tiny kitten mewled for its mother
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Recent Examples of mewl
Their swollen limbs, skeletal frames, and mewling cries of desperation are what keep me awake at night.
—
Jennifer Furin, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
Stray cats followed us around, mewling from hunger.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Henry has unexpectedly become a dad, and must deal with a screaming, mewling baby that resembles a small skinned animal.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
Tannahill, now jerked upside down, would mewl and scream and clamber down a wall.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
That’s the music I was raised on: Morrissey’s mewling over beautiful, peppy Johnny Marr guitar parts.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2018
Somewhere in the dark of the room, a kitten mewled.
—James Queally and Anh Do, latimes.com, 9 Oct. 2017
The cats, which spent the first day mewling, have mellowed out.
—Warren Richey, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Sep. 2017
Jennifer Furin, TIME, 19 Feb. 2025
Stray cats followed us around, mewling from hunger.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025
Henry has unexpectedly become a dad, and must deal with a screaming, mewling baby that resembles a small skinned animal.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
Tannahill, now jerked upside down, would mewl and scream and clamber down a wall.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023
That’s the music I was raised on: Morrissey’s mewling over beautiful, peppy Johnny Marr guitar parts.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2018
Somewhere in the dark of the room, a kitten mewled.
—James Queally and Anh Do, latimes.com, 9 Oct. 2017
The cats, which spent the first day mewling, have mellowed out.
—Warren Richey, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Sep. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mewl
Verb
-
Ezra gets the ball in his hands and, after looking back at his mom while JJ whimpers excitedly, tosses the orange ball back to the dog.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
-
The mumbling girl is ill and must be taken to hospital, where her mother whimpers prayers over her.—
Namwali Serpell,
The New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
With screaming, crying, and crash outs abound, Madix’s high pony mirrored her demeanor: commanding, polished, and captivating.—
Devon Abelman,
Allure,
23 June 2025
-
When the curtain is lifted, Matthew is crying, and Andreas is beaming.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mewl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mewl. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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