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 of howl

• scream
• shriek
• wail
• yell

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

And the Bills-dominant crowd at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium howled with derision for the hapless Fins. —Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025

Wanting to mimic the sounds, Takk began howling. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

And Democrats have howled at Republicans twice using a partisan maneuver to claw back funds that were previously approved on a bipartisan basis. —Mike Lillis, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025

In celebration, the pair could be seen quite literally howling at the moon with cocktails in hand — sans pants, of course. —Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for howl

• foul
• foule
• fowl
• growl
• jowl
• owl
• prowl
• scowl
• afoul
• wildfowl
• waterfowl

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