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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The screams, the reason everyone assembles, when the screams come, after a few collective inhales and exhales and a moment to gather one’s thoughts, the screams come like long guttural howls. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, for an AI that claims someone is going into something bad, but the AI has computationally misjudged the circumstance, users are bound to howl and get upset with the AI and the AI maker. Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025 Siberian huskies are naturally vocal dogs, and howling like in the video is a normal part of their behavior. Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025 The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight. Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for howl

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

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/howl. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

howl

verb
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

More from Merriam-Webster on howl

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