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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ducati purists howled their displeasure at the change, but complaints faded away as the race wins - and showroom sales - quickly piled up. William Roberson, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 The approximately one-mile light show allows visitors to enjoy more than 100 installations depicting ice skating bears, jumping reindeer, a holiday golfer, howling wolves and more, all while sitting in their own vehicles listening to holiday songs on a closed-circuit radio station, organizers said. David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 27 Nov. 2024 The wind howled outside and the lights began to flicker around 8 p.m., Miller told USA TODAY. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2024 Batiste told IndieWire that the sharp, sometimes discordant, sometimes howling cues could still work hand-in-hand with the film’s sound design and editing rhythm because the point was never to have every element in the film line up neatly. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for howl 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of howl was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near howl

Cite this Entry

“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/howl. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

howl

verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on howl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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