1
as in wail
a crying out in grief
we had to endure the puppy's mournful howls on her first night in our house
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2
as in shout
a loud vocal expression of strong emotion
heard howls of laughter from the children watching the clown's silly antics
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3
as in roar
a violent shouting
the crowd let out a howl of protest over the referee's call
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1
2
as in to scream
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the boy howled in pain when his baby sister bit him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of howl
Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2025
To make sense of what wolf howls mean for an ecosystem, The Colossal Foundation (the non-profit arm of Colossal Biosciences, which recently made headlines for its dire wolf de-extinction project) has announced a partnership with non-profit Yellowstone Forever and the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2025
For what feels like hours on end to the viewer, Sam howls in pain as his teammates drag him to safety.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 7 May 2025
The left howled that Schumer squandered his leverage and capitulated to Trump.
—Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for howl
Verb
Part of what will have fans further howling to see him here before long.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2025
To make sense of what wolf howls mean for an ecosystem, The Colossal Foundation (the non-profit arm of Colossal Biosciences, which recently made headlines for its dire wolf de-extinction project) has announced a partnership with non-profit Yellowstone Forever and the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2025
For what feels like hours on end to the viewer, Sam howls in pain as his teammates drag him to safety.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 7 May 2025
The left howled that Schumer squandered his leverage and capitulated to Trump.
—Bradley Tusk, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for howl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howl
Noun
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Staying put In Kyiv, residents have adjusted to the regular wail of sirens and periodic explosions.—
Dominique Soguel,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 Apr. 2025
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In this ode to deception, stark ironies become the self-punishing wail of survivors.—
William Logan,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Two Prosecutors, adapted from a 1969 novel by Georgy Demidov, is a bleak shout of futility that’s also strangely, bitterly funny.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
23 May 2025
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The movie continued, however, and the shouts died down after a minute or two.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
19 May 2025
Noun
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The crowd, which had already grown hostile to Ernst's tone, erupted in roars of disapproval.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
31 May 2025
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There’s something magical about a waterfall — the roar of rushing water fueled by snowmelt, the cooling mist, and lush vegetation thriving around it.—
Jennifer Broome,
Denver Post,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Inside a Mexico City shopping mall, fans began shrieking.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Cate Blanchett is relatively subdued as Cinderella’s wicked stepmother, with her shrieking stepsisters picking up most of the slack.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Heard screamed and dropped to the ground with the knife beside him.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
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After 'tremendous commotion,' Cassie screamed, 'Isn't anybody seeing this?' Some of the most compelling testimony has come from former Combs former personal assistant, George Kaplan.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Noun
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Full of surprises, family time, performing, chilling, laughing, loving, smiling and good meaningful cries.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
26 May 2025
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This savvy sleeper responds to babies’ cries by activating its sound and motion features.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
22 May 2025
Noun
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From the Guentzel, Burns and (both) Rantanen trades, to the signing of Orlov and the blockbuster deal that started it all — Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin to Calgary for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox — Carolina isn’t afraid to make noise.—
Cory Lavalette,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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These underwater cameras record which animals swim by without the noise usually associated with a person at the end of that capture, providing snapshots of reef life that are difficult to capture otherwise.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Related Stories Man Attacked by Shark at Popular Seaside Jetty Woman Killed in Florida Alligator Attack That Husband Tried to Fight Off After attempting to yell at the coyote to scare it off, the coyote continued to bite him.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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About 30 minutes later, Combs arrived, yelling and banging on the door with a hammer, Morgan testified.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howl. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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