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howl 1 of 2

noun

Definition of howlnext
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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howl

2 of 2

verb

ˈhau̇(-ə)l How to pronounce howl (audio)
1
as in to scream
to make a long loud mournful sound several coyotes began howling close by as the sun went down the wind howled on the open plain

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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

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.
Recent Examples of howl
Noun
Her Valley girl howl will stop you in your tracks, proclaiming friendship, revolution, and, yeah, lust. — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 Things that made your red-eyed soul sing and howl are few and far between. — New Atlas, 6 July 2026
Verb
Our arrival in the Madawaska River country of eastern Ontario, near Combermere, was noteworthy only for the snow flurries and marrow-chilling gales that howled down from Hudson Bay to greet us. — Harry H. Edel, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026 Yusef Toubassi sits with his grandson Masa, looking on as children run by with cheeks painted bright colors and others howling with joy as clowns spin them around. — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for howl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howl
  1. wail
  2. shout
  3. roar
  4. scream
  5. shriek
  6. cry
  7. noise
  8. yell
Noun
  • In Kyiv, the recurring wail of air-raid sirens has become part of daily life.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Yell, scream, jeer, cry, wail, plead—but don’t dare do it while the players are still hitting the ball.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of wail
Noun
  • His appointment earlier this month on a 3-1 vote by the board drew boos and shouts from the public.
    — Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Designer of the Year Brandon Blackwood gave a heartfelt shout out to his mom, who was in the room.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of shout
Noun
  • Finally, the structure crumbled in a roar of broken concrete and a cloud of dust.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The unsentimental roar is, of course, a translation of Chekhov’s saws, and a good one at that.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of roar
Verb
  • There were hugs and high fives, and jubilant screams from a winning locker room could be heard clearly in the adjacent news conference room and by anyone walking through the hallway.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Kolb also pushed another protester who was screaming about getting wool off the runway, covering the protester’s mouth and pulling a banner out of his hands, until he was escorted out.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • The addition of the electric guitar, drums and Jack White’s shrieking vocals transformed it into a rock song, while also keeping its signature folksiness.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The other customers cowered in the corners, while crowds formed at the windows outside, shrieking and recording the scene on their phones.
    — Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Definition of shriek
Noun
  • Yell, scream, jeer, cry, wail, plead—but don’t dare do it while the players are still hitting the ball.
    — Corey Seymour, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Notably, in October 2025, Shepherd even revealed that founding host Barbara Walters was tough on her during her tenure, to the point of making her cry.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of cry
Noun
  • Instead of focusing only on reducing noise, officials could also pay more attention to the kinds of sounds people hear, including natural ones such as birdsong.
    — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • This achievement marks the starting point for a new era of antiproton precision measurements 8,12 in dedicated low-noise offline laboratory environments.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of noise
Verb
  • Stop and think of what the same bozos yelling about Sweeney would say if Lizzo was holding a couple of footballs over her rack.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • An employee who knew about Elliott’s miscarriage and worked that day also witnessed Sanders yelling at Elliott.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of yell

Browse Nearby Words

however
howl
howled
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Cite this Entry

“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howl. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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