howl

verb

\ ˈhau̇(-ə)l

howled; howling; howls

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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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

No, Kerr knew this was Iggy time -- Warriors up against it, on the road, crowd howling, roof caving in, dream floating away. — Scott Ostler, SFChronicle.com, "Goodbye Andre Iguodala: You will be missed," 1 July 2019 Guests literally howled as the newlyweds walked down the aisle following Sunday’s wedding ceremony at Compass Rose Brewery in Raleigh. — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, "WATCH: Hurricane Florence Rescue Pup with Cancer Checks Marrying His Best Friend off Bucket List," 13 June 2019 After hours of frantic work, the northern and western edges of the new spot fire are almost under control, but the flames are now howling southward, borne by a northern wind. — Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, "When wildfires break out, this elite team of ‘smokejumpers’ parachute in," 12 June 2019 Flyers coach Dave Hakstol gave the refs an earful while the fans howled as the hits were shown on replay. — BostonGlobe.com, "Jake Guentzel’s four goals helps Penguins clinch vs. Flyers," 23 Apr. 2018 Glaze toppled over in surprise as Bryan and Richie howled with laughter and gave Perry high-fives. — Emily Yahr, chicagotribune.com, "'American Idol' treats Katy Perry's flirting as a joke. Some viewers aren't amused: analysis," 19 Mar. 2018 The winds howled late Wednesday, gusting to 46 mph at Reagan National Airport, which caused concern that the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin might sustain damage. — Kevin Ambrose, Washington Post, "Cherry blossoms reach peak bloom after six weeks of wild weather (Photos)," 5 Apr. 2018 For three days, Mikaela Shiffrin waited as Siberian wind howled through the Taebaek Mountains. — Nathan Fenno, latimes.com, "Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold in giant slalom at Winter Olympics," 14 Feb. 2018 Like howling, licking up peanut butter, and comfy chairs for snuggling in. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "Pete Buttigieg and Chasten Glezman's Dogs Have More Social Media Game Than I Do," 28 Mar. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

10 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for howl

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

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More Definitions for howl

howl

verb

English Language Learners Definition of howl

of a dog, wolf, etc. : to make a long, loud cry that sounds sad

of the wind : to make a long, loud sound

: to cry out loudly in pain, anger, amusement, etc.

See the full definition for howl in the English Language Learners Dictionary

howl

verb

\ ˈhau̇l

howled; howling

Kids Definition of howl

(Entry 1 of 2)

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.

howl

noun

Kids Definition of howl (Entry 2 of 2)

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