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View synonyms for

prowl

[proul]

verb (used without object)

  1. to rove or go about stealthily, as in search of prey, something to steal, etc.

    Synonyms:


verb (used with object)

  1. to rove over or through in search of what may be found.

    The cat prowled the alleys in search of food.

noun

  1. act of prowling.

prowl

/ ʊ /

verb

  1. to move stealthily around (a place) as if in search of prey or plunder

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the act of prowling

    1. moving around stealthily

    2. zealously pursuing members of the opposite sex

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • prowlingly adverb
  • unprowling adjective
  • ˈǷɱ noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prowl1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English prollen; origin uncertain
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prowl1

C14 prollen, of unknown origin
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. on the prowl, in the act of prowling; searching stealthily.

    The cat is on the prowl for mice.

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Synonym Study

See lurk.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

By late April, when the roses start blooming, they’ve already been pruned and fertilized, but Bifano is always on the prowl for any signs of disease or pests.

From

And it's not just men on their own out on the prowl.

From

So the first roar of the 2025 Lions has been heard - some old cats who have prowled this terrain before, some cubs who are experiencing this for the first time.

From

Saxon is the preening alpha male, vocally on the prowl for sex, telling his little brother that he needs to drink more protein shakes and man up.

From

For the remainder of the Zoom call, he avoids the gym’s windows and steers clear of the fans prowling the hotel’s perimeter.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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