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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2
as in shrieking
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the boy howled in pain when his baby sister bit him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yelling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in crying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of howling
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
But most ominous of all, at least for me, are the howling winds.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 9 July 2024
Sender shifts between stories of love — between lovers, friends, family, ghosts — and the great looming shadow of the Holocaust, making a deep and howling portrait of longing and loneliness.
—Nina McLaughlin, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2023
Smash the right pedal, and Tecnica lurches forward in a howling, long-winded climb through each of the 7 gears.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 22 July 2022
Their capabilities range from merely howling threats, to throwing Molotov cocktails, to carrying out suicide operations or blowing up cars, to seizing control of territory—at least for a time.
—Nelly Lahoud, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2021
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Normally, howling and yowling in the presence of another cat is not a good sign.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Once Upon a Brick — Wolf Guy gets himself into a hairy situation in this howling comedy.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Farms with multiple species also provide habitat for colorful and charismatic wildlife such as the endangered Yellow-eared Parrot and mantled howling monkey.
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The verse resumes, and the band soldiers on, Lenker’s perseverant guitar solo howling with the weary relief of a shipwrecked sailor spotting land.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Behind it, a monsoon storm swept in, unleashing torrential rain, howling winds and lightning that knocked out power to thousands and caused havoc across the Valley.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2025
With no cell service, my two spoiled house pets immediately rebranded themselves as wild animals—sniffing, digging, howling at the moon, and rolling in whatever smelled the worst.
—The Editors, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
The island's hungry wild dogs sense this and immediately encircle her, snarling and howling.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
But most ominous of all, at least for me, are the howling winds.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 9 July 2024
Sender shifts between stories of love — between lovers, friends, family, ghosts — and the great looming shadow of the Holocaust, making a deep and howling portrait of longing and loneliness.
—Nina McLaughlin, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Mar. 2023
Smash the right pedal, and Tecnica lurches forward in a howling, long-winded climb through each of the 7 gears.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 22 July 2022
Their capabilities range from merely howling threats, to throwing Molotov cocktails, to carrying out suicide operations or blowing up cars, to seizing control of territory—at least for a time.
—Nelly Lahoud, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2021
Adjective
Males, in particular, showed more barking and howling when left with canine companions.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Normally, howling and yowling in the presence of another cat is not a good sign.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Once Upon a Brick — Wolf Guy gets himself into a hairy situation in this howling comedy.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Farms with multiple species also provide habitat for colorful and charismatic wildlife such as the endangered Yellow-eared Parrot and mantled howling monkey.
—Marianne Krasny, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
The verse resumes, and the band soldiers on, Lenker’s perseverant guitar solo howling with the weary relief of a shipwrecked sailor spotting land.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2025
Behind it, a monsoon storm swept in, unleashing torrential rain, howling winds and lightning that knocked out power to thousands and caused havoc across the Valley.
—Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 27 Aug. 2025
With no cell service, my two spoiled house pets immediately rebranded themselves as wild animals—sniffing, digging, howling at the moon, and rolling in whatever smelled the worst.
—The Editors, Outside, 26 Aug. 2025
The island's hungry wild dogs sense this and immediately encircle her, snarling and howling.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for howling
Verb
-
Now, Darvish will get to pitch in front of a stadium of screaming, hopeful, nervous Cubs fans.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
There’s screaming electric guitar AND an orchestra.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And while the film’s metaphor seems to indicate that Jesse’s burgeoning sexuality is something to fear, the ridiculousness of the dialogue and Patton’s shrieking performance make this a perverse camp classic.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Guadagnino encourages our doubts, shooting Maggie in exaggerated horror-movie closeups set to the doomy bass notes and shrieking winds of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
Rather than atop fire station roofs, sirens would be placed along areas prone to flash flooding that have both tone and voice capacity, Brissie said, allowing officials to broadcast a wailing alarm or spoken instructions.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Karaoke on Ambience mainly consists of elderly monk-like men croaking out album tracks by Black Sabbath, and grey haired women wailing out ABBA songs.—
David Greig
September 15,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One of the first major highlights showed the moment Mei Xiang birthed a squealing Xiao Qi Ji and cradled her newborn cub.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In this age of Amazon, packages promptly appear on doorsteps following a mere click of a button or a vocal cue.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
30 Sep. 2025
-
The discipline followed the coaches' backing of Reeve and their vocal criticisms of officials.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There was yelling, taunting and cursing from fans.—
Bob Harkins,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Especially the guy who was yelling at him on media day.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Howling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howling. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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