howling 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of howlingnext
1
as in yelling

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2
as in crying

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howling

2 of 2

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
as in shrieking
to cry out loudly and emotionally the boy howled in pain when his baby sister bit him

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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 howling
Adjective
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
Verb
Late one night in October, 2017, Jane Marx, a landscape architect in the wine country of Northern California, woke up to the smell of smoke and the sound of an eerie, howling wind. — Ingfei Chen, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026 Leithauser was the distinctive, often howling voice of the Walkmen, while Rostam was a songwriter and producer in Vampire Weekend. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for howling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howling
  1. yelling
  2. crying
  3. screaming
  4. shrieking
  5. vocal
  6. sad
  7. wailing
  8. squealing
Adjective
  • Think Pictionary, but with way more yelling and questionable drawings.
    — Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 11 Nov. 2025
Definition of yelling
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Verb
  • Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who had seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, was screaming at coaches and teammates on the sideline at the start of the fourth quarter.
    — Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was held to seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, was screaming at coaches and teammates on the sideline at the start of the fourth quarter.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of screaming
Verb
  • When the humor shifted abruptly from shrieking and pratfalls to more subtle witticism, the audience was fine with that as long as things stayed light, funny and uncomplicated.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Children crowded the play areas, despite the damp, gray weather, shrieking with joy (and in one instance, crying).
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of shrieking
Adjective
  • Courtney is attuned to the singularity of each, their vocal tics and fixations and privacies, their fledgling channels of desire and uncanny knowledge of beauty.
    — Jamie Hood, New Yorker, 11 Nov. 2026
  • To his left politically, Roan, who is openly gay, is a vocal advocate for LGBTQ rights and in August performed at Olivia Rodrigo’s inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival that raised $20 million for women’s charities.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 11 Nov. 2026
Definition of vocal
Adjective
  • Sheriff’s officials sad Damico, who had personal ties with Canata, claimed to be his power of attorney but was unable to provide any correlating paperwork or a will to verify such statements.
    — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The musical comedy has earned Moore raves on the festival circuit for her role as a sad suburban homemaker turned anxious aspiring actress in a New Jersey community theater.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 9 Nov. 2026
Definition of sad
Verb
  • This is punctured by a wailing refrain from Lyons, whose runs serve as a continual anchor to the jazz tradition throughout his time with Taylor.
    — Levi Dayan, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026
  • After years of wailing and gnashing of teeth over salary caps and payrolls and free agency, Tampa and Milwaukee demonstrate that most of those concerns are overblown.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of wailing
Verb
  • This time of year, the ranch’s Duroc, Hampshire and Berkshire cross hogs are paddocked along a slough, grunting and squealing under the canopy of oak and walnut trees.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Each of its elements began, long ago, in the loamy earth, hatching and creeping or slipping, slick and squealing, from the womb of the mind.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of squealing

Browse Nearby Words

howlers
howling
howls
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Cite this Entry

“Howling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howling. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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