n.
- The low, guttural, menacing sound made by an animal: the growl of a dog.
- A gruff surly utterance: The desk officer answered my greeting with a growl.
v., growled, growl·ing, growls. v.intr.
- To emit a low guttural sound or utterance.
- To speak in an angry or surly manner.
To utter by growling: growled the orders.
[Middle English groule, grollen, to rumble, growl, probably from Old French grouler, of Germanic origin.]
growly growl'y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
