What does "mew" mean?
A gull, seagull.
Mew
/mjuː/ intj, name, noun, verb, slang
intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A gull, seagull.
- Grammar: mew is listed as intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: meow, miaow, adytum, ashram.
- Useful contrasts: growl, liberate, open air.
- Usage evidence: The osprey and the sea mew, fly down to catch fish, but the Heron catches them while standing on the banks. The bittern puts its bill into the water and bellows like an ox. The water wagtail wags its tail.
How to use "mew"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mew" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mew" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mew" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mew" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mew" is acting as intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "meow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mew", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A gull, seagull. archaic, dialectal, poetic
"A daungerous and detestable place, To which nor fish nor fowle did once approch, But yelling Meawes, with Seagulles hoarse and bace […]"
- 2 A prison, or other place of confinement. obsolete
- 3 The crying sound of a cat; a meow, especially of a kitten.
- 4 the common gull of Eurasia and northeastern North America wordnet
- 5 A hiding place; a secret store or den. obsolete
"Ne toung did tell, ne hand these handled not, / But safe I haue them kept in secret mew, / From heauens sight, and powre of all which them pursew."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 The crying sound of a gull or buzzard.
- 7 the sound made by a cat (or any sound resembling this) wordnet
- 8 A breeding-cage for birds. obsolete
- 9 An exclamation of disapproval; a boo. obsolete
- 10 A cage for hawks, especially while moulting.
"A horse in a stable that never travels, a hawk in a mew that seldom flies, are both subject to diseases; which, left unto themselves, are most free from any such encumbrances."
- 11 A building or set of buildings where moulting birds are kept. in-plural
Verb
- 1 To shut away, confine, lock up. archaic
"More pity that the eagle should be mew’d, While kites and buzzards prey at liberty."
- 2 To meow. especially
- 3 To flatten one's tongue against the roof of the mouth, with the aim of improving jaw and facial structure. intransitive, slang
- 4 cry like a cat wordnet
- 5 To moult.
"The hawk mewed his feathers."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To make its cry.
- 7 utter a high-pitched cry, as of seagulls wordnet
- 8 To cause to moult. obsolete
- 9 To shed antlers. obsolete
Intj
- 1 A cat's (especially a kitten's) cry.
- 2 A gull's or buzzard's cry.
- 3 An exclamation of disapproval; boo. archaic
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
"Darren James Mew"
Example
"The osprey and the sea mew, fly down to catch fish, but the Heron catches them while standing on the banks. The bittern puts its bill into the water and bellows like an ox. The water wagtail wags its tail."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mew"?
Common synonyms include: meow, miaow, adytum, ashram, bark, bawl.
How do you use "mew" in a sentence?
The osprey and the sea mew, fly down to catch fish, but the Heron catches them while standing on the banks. The bittern puts its bill into the water and bellows like an ox. The water wagtail wags its tail.
How do you pronounce "mew"?
Pronounced /mjuː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English mewe, mowe, meau, from Old English mǣw (“seagull”), from Proto-West Germanic *maiwī, from Proto-Germanic *mai(h)waz (“seagull”). See also West Frisian meau, miuw, Dutch meeuw, German Möwe (whence Polish mewa); akin to Latvian maût (“to roar”), Old Church Slavonic мꙑꙗти (myjati, “to mew”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English mewe, mue, mwe, from Anglo-Norman mue, muwe, and Middle French mue (“shedding feathers; cage for moulting birds; prison”), from muer (“to moult”).
Etymology 3
From Middle English mewen; onomatopoeic.
Etymology 4
Named after British orthodontists John Mew and his son Michael Mew.