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

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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 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
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 But the way Marchenko insists on drawing lines of uncomplicated beauty through the howling darkness of these songs gives his solitude a luxurious, almost decadent quality. Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 31 Mar. 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 That way, their songs can be carried farther to potential mates, without the noisy interruption of a howling wind. Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026 In the grips of her ghost, the young woman starts howling accusations aimed at a local mob boss (Zlatko Burić) who happens to be sitting at the bar. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026 But physical appearance is not the only thing that defines them, as therians adopt animal-like attitudes such as walking or running on all fours, sniffing, howling, meowing, and sometimes biting. Paula Soria, AZCentral.com, 17 Feb. 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
  • On the Sonora stage Sunday, the 22-year-old Newark rapper-producer who arrived at the current screaming catharsis via a circuit of molting SoundCloud-era microgenres was at once dangerously commanding and euphoric while tearing through highlights from last year’s Revengeseekerz.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The pressures of fame and the pains of Michael’s brand of friendlessness are barely explored, beyond the requisite scenes of screaming fans crowding outside the family estate and a terrified Michael attempting to get away from them (while still politely waving).
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Less than 10 minutes later, that same fan is running down the street with others, shrieking and holding up their photos and signed papers in triumph.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The finale is an ambiguous mix of jollity and agitation, with a piccolo shrieking above a militant march.
    Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • His 2025 tape, WOMB, embodied this through his pensive grumbles over wispy vocal chops; each bar that cut through the fog was steeped in sober gravitas.
    Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
  • No matter your attachment style, listeners will latch onto Kehlani for its nostalgic references, impressive vocal arrangements, pitch-perfect collaborations, and refreshing perspectives on relationships.
    Adelle Platon, VIBE.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Subjecting them, and us, to a series of repetitive wailing sequences blunts any potential emotional sharpness.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The fever dream continued with Howard wailing on guitar and vocals, the production morphing into a beautiful stew of blues rock and given an exclamation point – and a standing ovation – with Copeland spinning out of the shadows.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The adults settle into seats facing each other while children from different families run behind them, squealing, playing, crying.
    Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Visceral sounds of gyaaaaaaa (ギャアアアアア) convey squealing tires, while turbo blow-off valves let out a sweet doa (ドア).
    Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • And the loss seemed to unleash some hidden resentments, some wolves that had been biding their time deep in the woods but were now baying at the door.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Bowling at run-hungry batters on largely unforgiving pitches in vast, cacophonous stadiums with huge outfields in front of a partisan and at times baying crowd — plenty of English bowlers have found bowling in Australia akin to a Sisyphean task.
    James Wallace, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Howling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howling. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.

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