MEANING
To make a low, rough, sustained rumbling sound, especially from the throat.
Use it for
A predator heard before it is seen; a low bodily vibration; suppressed aggressionKeep the sound low and sustained to distinguish it from a bark or shriek.
Words that belong together
- growl deep in the throat
- low growling
- growl a warning
On the page
From the empty cot, a voice growled before the figure rose.
The dog growled at the hand beneath the door.
He growled the warning so quietly that only she heard it.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- growl / growls
- Past tense
- growled
- Past participle
- growled
- Present participle
- growling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- growl / growls
- Present continuous
- am/is/are growling
- Present perfect
- have/has growled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been growling
- Past
- growled
- Past continuous
- was/were growling
- Past perfect
- had growled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been growling
- Future
- will growl / growls
- Future continuous
- will be growling
- Future perfect
- will have growled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been growling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Explore related collections
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Can signal threat but is not inherently violent; machines and stomachs also growl. Often lower and less sharply articulated than snarl. Also a noun for the sound. Verb [base, third-person present, past, past participle, -ing]: growl, growls, growled, growled, growling.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.