caterwaul (KAT-er-wawl) Definition (Verb) 1. to make a harsh cry 2. to protest or complain noisily In Context Between begging calls, the young birds made more practice launches, flapping their wings and jumping. Paired adults were re-forming their relationships; returning birds went in for bouts of head flicking and kissing. Neighbors were in dispute, caterwauling above the din." Tim Dee, The New York Review of Books, 11 Sept. 2018