howl

verb \ ˈhau̇(-ə)l \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

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

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howl

noun

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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

Now the mobs are howling after Facebook , Mr. Zuckerberg’s creature.

— daniel henninger, WSJ, "Is Facebook a Frankenstein?," 28 Mar. 2018
The anti-New England brigade is still howling over referee Clete Blakeman being the first to congratulate Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after Sunday's 24-20 win over Jacksonville put Brady in his eighth Super Bowl.

— bud shaw, cleveland.com, "The Cavaliers need to share more than their grievances -- Bud Shaw's Spinoffs," 23 Jan. 2018
Either way, there's no better gateway drug to philately than a howling V-8.

— steve rousseau, Popular Mechanics, "Will the 1966 Pontiac GTO Save the Postal Service?," 22 Feb. 2013
The third nor'easter of the month blasted parts of New England with heavy snow, howling winds and whiteout conditions Tuesday, wreaking travel havoc, closing schools and businesses, and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people.

— john bacon, USA TODAY, "'Whiteout': Third brutal winter storm blasts New England," 13 Mar. 2018
Chris Atkins, a physical-education teacher at South Jefferson Elementary, had been standing on picket lines since the strike began, even on Friday, when howling winds crumpled his sign.

— sarah larimer, Washington Post, "‘We will move forward’: With deal on pay in place, West Virginia’s teachers eye return to the classroom," 6 Mar. 2018
The winds were howling so much in Washington DC on Friday that flight controllers at Dulles International Airport had to temporarily evacuate their tower, which suspended flight operations.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "Major nor’easter whacking East Coast for the second time in two months," 2 Mar. 2018
Shore fishers were limited to Noyo Jetty and Dog Park when the weather howled and the swells ran large.

— bee staff, sacbee, "Snow, cold weather slow down Northern California fishing action | The Sacramento Bee," 26 Feb. 2018
But no matter the challenges, Raffaeli enjoys the perks of her job, such as seeing the sun sparkle on Denali's pristine snow, watching a herd of caribou pass, finding lynx tracks, and hearing wolves howl back and forth with the sled dogs at night.

— kitson jazynka, chicagotribune.com, "In Alaska, sled dogs pull their weight for Denali National Park," 24 Feb. 2018

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.