cat·er·waul

Look at other dictionaries:

• cat|er|waul — «KAT uhr wl», verb, noun. –v.i. 1. (of cats) to utter long drawn, wailing cries, especially in the night; give their characteristic cry at rutting time: »Dread midnight come, the cats gan caterwaul (Jeremy Taylor). 2. Figurative. a) to howl like… …   Useful english dictionary

• cat|er|waul|ing — «KAT uhr W lihng», noun, adjective. –n. 1. = caterwaul. (Cf. ↑caterwaul) 2. Figurative. a whining or complaining: »There ll probably be a lot of caterwauling about the guaranteed annual wage (Wall Street Journal). –adj. resembling the… …   Useful english dictionary

• waul — waul; cat·er·waul; …   English syllables

• Waul — Waul, v. i. [Of imitative origin.] To cry as a cat; to squall; to wail. [Written also {wawl}.] [1913 Webster] The helpless infant, coming wauling and crying into the world. Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• waul — wɔːl v. cry with a high pitched sound, cry with a piercing sound like a baby or cat; make whiney loud sounds: squall …   English contemporary dictionary

• waul — [wɔ:l] verb give a loud plaintive cry like that of a cat. Origin C16: imitative …   English new terms dictionary

• waul — /wɔl/ (say wawl) verb (i) to cry as a cat or a newborn baby; squall. Also, wawl. {imitative} …  

• waul — v.intr. (also wawl) give a loud plaintive cry like a cat. Etymology: imit …   Useful english dictionary

• caterwaul — cat·er·waul …   English syllables

• caterwaul — cat•er•waul [[t]ˈkæt ərˌwɔl[/t]] v. i. 1) anb to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time 2) cvb to utter a similar sound; howl or screech 3) cvb to quarrel like cats 4) anb the cry of a cat in rutting time 5) cvb any similar sound Also …   From formal English to slang