prowl

English

Etymology

From Middle English prollen, of unknown origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹaʊl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -aʊl
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /pɹoʊl/

Verb

prowl (third-person singular simple present prowls, present participle prowling, simple past and past participle prowled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To rove over, through, or about in a stealthy manner; especially, to search in, as for prey or booty.

   Watch the lioness prowling in the shrubbery for zebras.

   It's easy to sneak vandalism into Wiktionary as there are few other users prowling the Recent Changes page.

   • a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:

     He prowls each place, still in new colours decked.

   • 2011 January 5, Mark Ashenden, “Wolverhampton 1 - 0 Chelsea”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     While McCarthy prowled the touchline barking orders, his opposite number watched on motionless and expressionless and, with 25 minutes to go, decided to throw on Nicolas Anelka for Kalou.

2. (intransitive) To idle; to go about aimlessly.

   That dandy has nothing better to do than prowl around town all day in his pinstripe suit.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To collect by plunder.

   to prowl money

Derived terms

• aprowl
• on the prowl
• prowl car
• prowler

 

Translations

to rove about in a stealthy manner as in search for prey or booty

• Bulgarian: дебна (bg) (debna)
• Catalan: aguaitar (ca)
• Esperanto: ĉirkaŭvagi
• Finnish: vaania (fi), väijyä (fi)
• French: rôder (fr)
• German: durchstreifen (de), herumstreifen (de)
• Greek: στριφογυρίζω (el) (strifogyrízo)
• Hungarian: portyázik (hu)
• Italian: aggirarsi (it)
• Ngazidja Comorian: uzungulia
• Polish: grasować (pl)
• Russian: ры́скать (ru) (rýskatʹ) (в по́исках добы́чи) impf, шныря́ть (ru) impf (šnyrjátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: èalaidh
• Spanish: acechar (es), merodear (es)
• Ukrainian: ни́шпорити impf (nýšporyty), пони́шпорити pf (ponýšporyty)

to idle; to go about aimlessly

• Bulgarian: обикалям (bg) (obikaljam), кръстосвам (bg) (krǎstosvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 徘徊 (zh)

• Finnish: kuljeskella (fi); hengailla (fi) (slang)
• German: herumstreifen (de)
• Hungarian: kóborol (hu), lófrál (hu)
• Portuguese: perambular (pt)
• Russian: броди́ть (ru) impf (brodítʹ), шля́ться (ru) impf (šljátʹsja), шныря́ть (ru) impf (šnyrjátʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: èalaidh
• Ukrainian: ника́ти (uk) impf (nykáty)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} aguaitar (es)

Noun

prowl (plural prowls)

1. (colloquial) The act of prowling.

   I'm going on a midnight prowl.