Definition of howl
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
nounExplore Merriam-Webster
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 of howl from the Web
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There were comfortable couches, prayer flags and books lined up between two howling wolf sculptures on a shelf across the fireplace.
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With the wind howling in, McHenry (16-20) played excellent infield defense, so Huntley coach Marc Petryniec wanted his hitters to make hard contact on the ground to try to get offense going.
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Aquarius's drumming hammers and spatters like a hailstorm, and the deranged buzzsaw of Koreman's distorted noise swirls, yaws, and lunges like a howling wind trying to tear the windows out of your house.
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Brazilians of all political stripes quickly howled for the president’s resignation.
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Howl Twitter (with abject apologies to Allen Ginsberg)
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'howl'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of howl
Middle English houlen; akin to Middle High German hiulen to howl
First Known Use: 14th century
HOWL Defined for English Language Learners
howl
playDefinition of howl for English Language Learners
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of a dog, wolf, etc. : to make a long, loud cry that sounds sad
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of the wind : to make a long, loud sound
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: to cry out loudly in pain, anger, amusement, etc.
HOWL Defined for Kids
Definition of howl for Students
howled
;howling
1 : to make a loud long mournful cry or sound Wolves howled at the moon. Wind was howling through the trees.
2 : to cry out loudly (as with pain or amusement) The audience howled with laughter.
Definition of howl for Students
1 : a loud long mournful sound made by dogs and related animals (as wolves)
2 : a long loud cry (as of distress, disappointment, or rage) A howl … of dismay went up from the creatures … — C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Learn More about howl
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See words that rhyme with howl Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for howl Spanish Central: Translation of howl Nglish: Translation of howl for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of howl for Arabic speakers
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