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
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 But most ominous of all, at least for me, are the howling winds. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 9 July 2024
Verb
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 Every trip down and back left his lungs howling. Los Angeles Times, 11 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 Conjuring images of blizzards and howling winds, Kevin Richard Martin’s Sub Zero is called that for a reason. Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 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 The onslaught of bad news elicited howling in Canada, groans in Atlanta and frenetic Googling to determine just what, exactly, is the hamate bone. Andy McCullough, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026 The poll comes as the ballot measure proposal, which is being pushed by the health care worker labor union SEIU-UHW, draws howling fury from some vocal billionaires who have threatened to leave the state and, in some cases, taken steps toward divesting from California. Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 21 Jan. 2026 Whitman’s howling yodel and clean-cut persona were a far cry from the sound Presley had been rehearsing. Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 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
  • One video shows black smoke streaming out of a building where a wall is painted blue with flowers and the sound of a woman can be heard screaming.
    Marin Scott, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Nunez then began raping her while Jones stuffed rocks in her mouth to try to stop her from screaming, detectives said in the report.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • When his kids melted down and started shrieking over the usual tantrum-inducing nonsense that sometimes sets off 4-year-olds, Buttigieg looked around nervously, gathered his family, and left the shop fast.
    Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Sánchez was also among the most vocal critics of Israel's actions in its war in Gaza.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
  • But despite his vocal disinterest in acquiring old legacy brands, the Axel Springer CEO has repeatedly attempted to do the opposite.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The play’s climactic title song is unquestionably a banger, with all the energy of a Bourbon Street funeral and an especially wonderful performance by Reginald Chapman wailing on the trombone.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 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
  • Every moment of euphoria is obfuscated by distortion, every pop impulse is undercut by squealing dissonance.
    Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Something’s always smoking or squealing with these boys, huh?
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 16 Mar. 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 31 Mar. 2026.

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