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 shriek
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
Mike Lillis, The Hill, 10 Oct. 2025
In the middle of the forest, the only sounds biologist Kimberly Rosvall could hear were the croaks of nocturnal frogs and the distant howl of a coyote.
—Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
Marc Malkin, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
January’s full moon is called the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for howl
Noun
The long recess has drawn howls of protest from Democratic leaders, who have returned to Washington to demand negotiations that might lead to a bipartisan spending bill that could reopen the government.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 10 Oct. 2025
In the middle of the forest, the only sounds biologist Kimberly Rosvall could hear were the croaks of nocturnal frogs and the distant howl of a coyote.
—Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
Stalter and Downs had the crowd howling with their commitment to the bit.
—Marc Malkin, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
January’s full moon is called the Wolf Moon because wolves were more likely to be heard howling at this time.
—Newsroom Meteorologist, Austin American Statesman, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for howl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howl
Noun
-
With the band mostly back together, the Minnesota Wild made the goal horn wail enough for their seventh straight win on Saturday.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
20 Dec. 2025
-
The ear-splitting wails came from a little girl trying to get the star’s attention.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
3 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Normally, scent voices are mere whispers compared to the screams and angry shouts of humans, but in that section, certain sensitive plant species shrieked incessantly because of their proximity to plants that hindered their growth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
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Chowhouse also gave a shout out to Nimki, a pop up brand by Beard Award finalist for Emerging Chef was Nikhil Naiker, that will move from Courtland Club to Club Frills this January.—
Rin Velasco,
The Providence Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
An onboard synthesizer manipulates a small set of core sounds to mimic everything from the roar of a jet plane to the flushing of a toilet through a little speaker in the Brick.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Jan. 2026
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The people want to see Varang’s fierce roars!—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hearing the Creature screaming his name, Victor turns back.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
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For all the talk about home-field advantage and the Bears needing their fans to scream 20 percent louder and be 30 percent drunker than usual, past precedent shows that won’t matter much.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Normally, scent voices are mere whispers compared to the screams and angry shouts of humans, but in that section, certain sensitive plant species shrieked incessantly because of their proximity to plants that hindered their growth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
-
This seems to me as offensive to rationality as a saint shrieking into the air.—
Christian Wiman,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Property Insurance If property taxes are the House GOP’s flagship affordability issue, property insurance has become the Democrats’ rallying cry.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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With the game tied at three in the final minutes, the noise level on the field sounded like multiple 747s were inches away from your ears.—
Mac Engel
January 7,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
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Turns out, those crystal bowls and milk glass dishes—both of which made ample clinking noises—were perfect for alerting grandma that little ones were snagging candy before dinner.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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People would rather yell at pundits on television than reach for their reading glasses.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Just a few days earlier in California, a house that had been decorated with lights celebrating Chanukah was riddled with bullets, with the assailant having been heard to yell anti-Jewish epithets.—
Rabbi Steve Roth,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howl. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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