How do you use the word "growl" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "growl": Did you just growl at me? Tom's stomach began to growl.

Growl Meaning

/ˈɡɹaʊ̯l/

Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounA deep, rumbling, threatening sound made in the throat by an animal.

nounA similar sound made by a human.

Sentence Examples

Did you just growl at me?

Tom's stomach began to growl.

The creature continued to do that gurgling growl.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

rumble grumble

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The angry dog began to ____ loudly at the stranger near the fence.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The large stray dog began to ____ menacingly at us as we slowly approached the entrance to the old alleyway.

Word Origin & History

From Middle English groulen, grollen, gurlen (“of the bowels: to growl, rumble”), either possibly from Old French groler (variant of croler (“to be agitated, shake”)), grouler, grouller (“to growl, grumble”), from Frankish *grullen, *gruljan or from Old English gryllan, both from Proto-Germanic *gruljaną (“to make a sound; to growl, grumble, rumble”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to make a noise; to mumble, murmur; to rattle; to grind; to rub, stroke”), probably ultimately imitative. The word is cognate with Middle Dutch grollen (“to make a noise; to croak, grumble, murmur; to be angry”) (modern Dutch grollen (“to grumble”)), German grollen (“to rumble; to be angry, bear ill will”), Old English grillan, griellan (“to provoke, offend; to gnash the teeth”). Compare grill. The noun is derived from the verb.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Hardly anything is more intensely disagreeable to one walking along the street, than to hear near his path a low savage growl—the expression of a surly dog's opinion and purpose." — 1857 June, S. H. L., “Growl”, in E. F. Blake et al., editors, The Yale Literary Magazine: […], volume XXII, number VII, New Haven, Conn.: Published by Thomas H. Pease; printed by T. J. Stafford, →OCLC, page 287:

"A deep growl was the answer I received, and the bear, for such it was, walked quickly away in the same direction whence he had come." — 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 282:

"Riding down the main thoroughfare, the growl of his stomach taints the soothing jazz playing on the radio." — 2004, Rique Johnson, chapter 2, in Whispers from a Troubled Heart, Largo, Md.: Strebor Books, →ISBN, page 21:

"The clerk promised that he would; and Scrooge walked out with a growl. The office was closed in a twinkling, and the clerk, with the long ends of his white comforter dangling below his waist (for he boasted no great-coat), went down a slide on Cornhill, at the end of a lane of boys, twenty times, in honour of its being Christmas Eve, and then ran home to Camden Town as hard as he could pelt, to play at blindman's-buff." — 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave I. Marley’s Ghost.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 18:

"The Welsh farmer, strong, broad-shouldered and blue-eyed, acknowledged Willie's presence by an unintelligible ejaculation which sounded very much like a growl, and with not very cheerful hospitality pushed a chair towards him. […] [T]he farmer swallowed his broth in huge spoonfuls, alternating with growls, […]" — 1864 July, Robert M. Anderson, “Over the Plains”, in The Dollar Monthly Magazine, volume XX, number 1 (number 115 overall), Boston, Mass.: Office American Union, Flag of Our Union, and Novelette […], →OCLC, page 44, column 1:

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