howl

verb

ˈhau̇(-ə)l 

howled; howling; howls

intransitive verb

1

: to emit a loud sustained doleful sound characteristic of members of the dog family

2

: to cry out loudly and without restraint under strong impulse (such as pain, grief, or amusement)

3

: to go on a spree or rampage

transitive verb

1

: to utter with unrestrained outcry

2

: to drown out or cause to fail by adverse outcry

—used especially with down

howl noun

Synonyms

• bay
• keen
• ululate
• wail
• yowl

Examples of howl in a Sentence

The dogs were howling at the moon.

several coyotes began howling close by as the sun went down

Recent Examples on the Web

The wind was howling and people were strewn along the highway amid the wreckage of a Mercedes GLE 350 and a Kia Sorrento. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 17 May 2024

Take the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission’s shifts into your own hands with the paddles behind the wheel to keep the howling V8 near the redline, click the manettino drive mode switch into Race, and this GT transforms into a vicious back-road-devouring beast. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 17 May 2024

How else to describe the street-racing mobs and side shows — now a howling fixture of life in the Crossroads, downtown and the West Side — for which city leaders seem to have no solution? —David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2024

Honda’s first supercar was a homerun, combining a howling V-6 motor, a wrist-snap manual gearbox, and a low, wedge profile with flattering handling, a supple ride, and an almost Honda Civic–like ease of driving. —Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 7 May 2024

Upstairs, Wilder, apparently jealous, howled in his crate. —Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 6 May 2024

Linda just strummed a chord and then belted some howling, crazy sound out of her mouth. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2024

The behavior reported included birds flying erratically and dogs howling loudly, The Washington Post reported. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 2 May 2024

From the shoreline, thousands of people began cheering – howling at the moon on a Monday afternoon. —Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English houlen; akin to Middle High German hiulen to howl

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing howl

• howl with laughter

Kids Definition

howl

verb

ˈhau̇(ə)l 

1

: to make a long loud mournful sound like that of a dog

2

: to cry out loudly (as with pain, grief, or amusement)

howled in protest

howling with laughter

3

: to drown out or cause to fail by an outcry

howled down the opposition

howl noun