Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

gowl

intransitive verb
Save Word
\ ˈgau̇(ə)l, ˈgül \
-ed/-ing/-s

Definition of gowl

 (Entry 1 of 2)

dialectal, British
: howl, yell the hound dog gowled wind gowls in the chimney— R. L. Stevenson

gowl

noun
\ " \
plural -s

Definition of gowl (Entry 2 of 2)

dialectal, British
: a loud cry : howl, yell burst out in kind o' gowl o' anger— S. R. Crockett

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

History and Etymology for gowl

Intransitive verb

Middle English goulen, gowlen, from Old Norse gaula; akin to Old Norse geyja to bark and perhaps to Greek chaos abyss

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about gowl

Statistics for gowl

Cite this Entry

“Gowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gowl. Accessed 2 Jul. 2020.

Comments on gowl

What made you want to look up gowl? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

obtain

Listen to the pronunciation of obtain

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

A More Exception(al) Quiz

  • hot dog hot dog hot dog hot dog cat
  • Which of the following words is not a synonym for ‘a young person’?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games