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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shout
a loud vocal expression of strong emotion
heard howls of laughter from the children watching the clown's silly antics
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in roar
a violent shouting
the crowd let out a howl of protest over the referee's call
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to shriek
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the boy howled in pain when his baby sister bit him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
But listen carefully as the howls of anger and anguish are even louder coming out of Philly and Beantown.
—Bill Madden, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
The Midwest wind howled throughout the evening, up to nearly 30 mph.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for howl
Noun
My 2-year-old daughter’s howls of protest echoed through the previously silent forest of towering Norway spruce.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
But listen carefully as the howls of anger and anguish are even louder coming out of Philly and Beantown.
—Bill Madden, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
By the fourth quarter, this game was over, leaving it to Kennard to send the crowd howling into the night by supplying three fourth-quarter treys on three attempts and making a Game 1 MVP out of Rob Pelinka.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026
The Midwest wind howled throughout the evening, up to nearly 30 mph.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for howl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howl
Noun
-
Her wails of pain were audible on TV broadcasts as medics tended to her before a helicopter finally carried her away.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
6 May 2026
-
Within moments, a smoke detector wails.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Organizers for Eurovision said that a few of the disruptive attendees were removed from the arena, and their shouts were edited out of the performance clip posted by Eurovision online.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Soderbergh rarely missteps, and this is one of his most underrated films — a perfectly paced angry shout of a movie that matches its captivating leading man.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Schwarber walked, and Harper followed with his 11th homer of the season, a monster shot that made the significant chunk of the PNC Park crowd who made the five-hour drive across the state roar with approval.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
-
Lee slid in safely with a head-first slide to tie the game at two apiece, letting out a cathartic roar towards his dugout from his knees.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Bringing up the video stops Kyle in his tracks, and his reaction screams guilt.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
20 May 2026
-
As the good Samaritans tried in vain to reach her, Gocaj could be heard screaming.—
New York Daily News,
Boston Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt.—
Dan Kois,
Pitchfork,
17 May 2026
-
While peacocks have roamed the streets of Los Angeles County for more than a century, officials in 2021 moved to ban people from feeding them after reports of the birds shrieking in the night and damaging property.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Rallying cries were common before key games, particularly those where Everton’s top-flight status was on the line.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Her friends and family cry in relief.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Thousands of fans were outside the Bell Centre watching the game, and the 20,962 fans filled the arena with ear-splitting noise before puck drop.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Write it down, step back from noise, and let the truth settle.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Adonis yells as Gillis begs him to pull over.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
In the video, which was captured by a bystander and later shared online, Cardi can be seen yelling at the NFL player, 32.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howl. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
