From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgrowlgrowl /ɡraʊl/ ●○○ verb 1 [intransitive]LOW SOUND OR VOICE if an animal growls, it makes a long deep angry sound → bark, snarlgrowl at The dog growled at me.2 [intransitive, transitive]LOW SOUND OR VOICEANGRY to say something in a low angry voice SYN snarl ‘Get out of my way, ’ he growled.growl at ‘Who are you?’ he growled at me.► see thesaurus at say —growl noun [countable] He heard a low growl behind him.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
growl• ""Come over here and say that, '' he growled.• "Leave that alone, " she growled.• Barnabas dashed down the stairs and crouched by the mail slot, growling.• Instead, after work my stomach was always growling.• He walked into the house, growled a few words at my mother and then went upstairs to bed.• The sun came and went, thunder clouds growling and swirling up the valley.• Their dog growls at everyone.• When it got older it got real fat and started to growl at me.• The wolves are growling right outside our walls, and the gate damn well better hold.• Martin, growling savagely at the yobs, daring them to interfere.• The thin man complained and continued to argue but no-one took notice but Michael, who growled tersely at his cowardice.Origin growl (1600-1700) Probably from the sound 