Mewl
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A soft cry or whimper; an act of mewling.
"There would have been total silence if it hadn't been for the sea nearby, mewling. Indeed, that same mewl added to the sleepy image that filled the dormant house."
- 1 To cry weakly with a soft, high-pitched sound; to whimper; to whine.
"And one man in his time plays many parts, / His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, / Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms; / Then the whining school-boy, […]"
- 2 cry weakly or softly wordnet
Example
More examples"And one man in his time plays many parts, / His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, / Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms; / Then the whining school-boy, […]"
Etymology
From 1599 or earlier (1530 in a Scottish document), apparently from Shakespeare with this spelling. Perhaps from Middle English mewen (“to whimper”) + -le (frequentative suffix).
More for "mewl"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.