howling 1 of 2

Definition of howlingnext
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howling

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verb

present participle of howl
1
as in screaming
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

2

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 howling
Adjective
Either that, or the Daily Mail editors had a howling good time with publication dates. Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2026 In the elk- and deer-rich areas of northern Yellowstone National Park, ravens are often among the first scavengers to arrive on the scene, swooping down to feast on scraps left behind by the howling canines. Nidhi Sharma, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2026 The City of Aurora, Illinois, is touting a howling success. Adam Harrington, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026 With relentless howling wind making up much of the soundtrack, The Turin Horse was a chilling, enigmatic stunner that played like a metaphor for the apocalypse. Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026 After the rain stopped, there was a strange howling sound from the wind that was loud, constant, and all night long. Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025 Aaron Chown—Press Association via AP Images People remove a new artwork by Banksy, depicting a howling wolf painted on a satellite dish that was placed on a shop roof in Peckham, south London. Rebecca Schneid, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 Get ready for a wild ride in Kansas City as a weather system will send temperatures plummeting and usher in howling winds, rain and maybe some light snow on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025 Burning telephone poles blocked lanes and black soot swept across the pavement, blown by the howling winds. Sean Greene, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
With a pummelling rhythm and howling guitar, the new song from fata morgana makes a desperate race against the doom loop. Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 10 June 2026 Lucy’s harebrained schemes constantly sent Ricky over the edge — and had audiences howling with laughter. Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 2026 In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can. Miami Herald, 2 June 2026 There’s no better time to swap scary stories than when the wind is howling and candles are flickering. Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 May 2026 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 Elsewhere, Paula Rego’s two self portraits from 2017 show the artist howling through expressive pastel strokes. Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026 When the evening kill was made, usually around 10 or 11 o’clock, howling would start again. Frank Glaser, Outdoor Life, 1 Apr. 2026 McCartney did not go off-mic to show off to this crowd, but his ability to sing material that calls for a fair amount of howling remains a more than impressive enough stunt, at 83. Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howling
Adjective
  • Think Pictionary, but with way more yelling and questionable drawings.
    Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 11 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.
    Michael Granberry, Dallas News, 17 Jan. 2020
Verb
  • The cells are basically screaming ‘Hey, our DNA is getting cooked here,’ and that stimulates the pigment cell.
    Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2026
  • Police said officers were dispatched after a caller reported hearing a woman screaming inside an apartment.
    Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Now, if there was just some way to go back and re-edit a supercut without Kate Capshaw's squealing and shrieking.
    Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly, 13 June 2026
  • What is a better visual metaphor for being a woman in America than the sight of Patricia (Kate O’Flynn) tearing through the streets of Widow’s Bay, shrieking for help and finding none, while an out-of-shape freak stalks her and somehow manages to catch up to her?
    Jen Chaney, Vulture, 3 June 2026
Adjective
  • The screams, contortions and vocal shifts were made without CGI or artificial intelligence, and that detail is its own form of campaign currency in an era when audiences and voters alike are increasingly skeptical of digital enhancement.
    Clayton Davis, Variety, 15 June 2026
  • Instead, Nowell roots the band’s sound in the mid-’90s and keeps his vocal mannerisms as close to Bradley’s as possible.
    Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 15 June 2026
Adjective
  • The sad thing for me is that, as a young actor, there was a platform for small independent films that were interesting.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 11 June 2026
  • Someone said an ending can be both happy and sad at the same time, which is surely correct.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • In a heartbreaking scene outside the residence, as captured on video by ABC 7, family members are seen wailing and distraught, surrounded by police cars and neighbors.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026
  • Piercing, unpredictable, wailing, the sirens could make anyone feel a little out of their mind.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 June 2026
Verb
  • Automatic weapons blasting, tires squealing, the whole bit.
    Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
  • There were no odd noises or squealing bearings to indicate the fan was having trouble.
    Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Howling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howling. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

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