yowl

1 of 2

verb

ˈyau̇(-ə)l 

yowled; yowling; yowls

intransitive verb

1

: to utter a loud long cry of grief, pain, or distress : wail

2

: to complain or protest with or as if with yowls

transitive verb

: to express with yowling

yowl

2 of 2

noun

: a loud long mournful wail or howl (as of a cat)

Synonyms

Verb

• complain
• scream
• whine
• moan
• growl

Noun

• howl
• shout
• cry
• scream
• shriek

Examples of yowl in a Sentence

Verb

The cat was yowling outside.

He was yowling in pain.

Noun

the cat gave a yowl of anger

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Whatever Laura’s up to involves circles and water and whatever’s gone wrong with Oliver — and, quite possibly, her pet dog (dead and stuffed) and cat (alive and yowling through the movie). —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025

This ranges from the everyday meowing and purring; to yowling to indicate distress; chattering when spotting prey outside of its reach; and chirping to communicate with kittens, according to PetMD. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025

Noun

Liam sang most of the songs in his reedy yowl, all charisma with his hands pulled behind his back, head tilted up toward the sky and a parka often inexplicably zipped all the way up to his chin. —Paula Mejía, Vulture, 5 July 2025

Some hockey teams have incorporated sound effects into their celebratory goal-horn noise—a cannon blast for the Columbus Blue Jackets, a cat’s yowl for the Florida Panthers. —Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 2 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

yowl

verb

ˈyau̇(ə)l

: to utter a loud long often mournful cry or howl

the cats were yowling all night

yowl noun