growl

«growl» in Mova's school dictionary: Of an animal like a dog, bear or lion, to make a low… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (growl, growls, growled, growling); noun (a growl, growls)

meaning for a pupil

1) Of an animal like a dog, bear or lion, to make a low, rough, deep sound in the throat as a warning or because it is angry. tree →

2) Of a person, to say something in a low, angry voice. tree →

3) Of a stomach or engine, to make a low rumbling noise: my tummy is growling. tree →

sense in the lessons

In animal safety, a growling dog is giving a clear warning: stop, do not stare at it or run, back away slowly and leave it alone; never touch a dog that is growling, eating or sleeping. Growling is useful communication, not something to punish. In science, animals use sounds like growls, barks and purrs to communicate. In stories, writers use "growled" instead of "said" to show anger. Phrases: "growl at", "a low growl", "my stomach growled", "growled under his breath".

examples

• The dog growled when the boy reached for its bone. tree →
• If a dog growls, back away slowly. tree →
• The bear gave a deep growl. tree →
• "Get out!" the giant growled. tree →
• My stomach growled during the quiet test. tree →
• The car engine growled as it climbed the hill. tree →
• Never tease a dog that is growling. tree →
• The lion growled to warn the other lions away. tree →
• "Nonsense, nonsense!" growled the sleepy Giant. tree →

note

Regular verb: growled, growling. Spelling: ow as in "how" — g-r-o-w-l. Do not confuse "growl" with "grow" (get bigger). Similar animal sounds: snarl (with teeth showing), bark, roar, hiss.

In the corpora

• Snow leopards cannot roar like lions and tigers; they hiss, growl and make a puffing sound instead.
• A growl is a warning, not rudeness; a dog that is punished for growling may learn to bite without warning.
• Therefore I'm mad." Alice says "I call it purring, not growling."
• A dog that growls, shows its teeth or goes stiff is warning you to stay away.
• A growl, a curled lip or bared teeth are warnings that mean «back off».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «growl» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.