bowwow

US: /ˈbaʊˌwaʊ, -ˈwaʊ/ ,(bou′wou′, -wou′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bow•wow /ˈbaʊˌwaʊ, -ˈwaʊ/   n. [countable]

1. the bark of a dog.
2. an imitation of this.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bow•wow  (bou′wou′, -wou′), n. 

1. the bark of a dog.
2. an imitation of this.
3. Slang Terms [Chiefly Baby Talk.] a dog.

• 1570–80; rhyming compound; imitative

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bow-wow / ˈbaʊˌwaʊ -ˈwaʊ/ noun

1. a child's word for dog
2. an imitation of the bark of a dog

verb

1. (intransitive) to bark or imitate a dog's bark