1
as in yelling
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in crying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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
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
What could be a better way to blow off some grief than turning up the amps and howling out more Kimbrough deep cuts?
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 7 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
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
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
What could be a better way to blow off some grief than turning up the amps and howling out more Kimbrough deep cuts?
—Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 7 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
-
As if each of us isn’t a walking embodiment of our moment, clueless and attuned at once, screaming about one thing and in total denial about another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
There were the arrests of tearful and screaming immigrants, captured on video and played on endless loops across social media.—
Moriah Balingit,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Lyra spent hours running and spinning through the surf, shrieking with joy when the waves caught her.—
Brianna Randall,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Pink is no comedian and many of the show’s bits fell flat, but the star’s fandom seemed genuine and her vocal prowess the envy of many a Tony nominee.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
-
The 79th Annual Tony Awards were a fitting coda to the 2025–26 Broadway season, offering all the requisite nostalgia, vocal prowess, ensemble energy, and a generous amount of pelvic thrusting.—
Lea Donenberg,
Vogue,
8 June 2026
Adjective
-
The other six ascended to the highest office in the land as a result of the dysfunction that has made Peru a punch line in political-science circles, a sad story of ungovernability played on a loop.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
4 June 2026
-
There’s a one-note quality to the film’s comedy that grows steadily, even deliberately, more abrasive over two hours, but the sad, brash, gradually shrinking bigness of the personalities at its center holds your attention.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
On the soundtrack, mournful wailing music presents her as a tragic character.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
The final syllables accelerate into a blur, whereupon a ritual of wailing erupts.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
18 May 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
Cite this Entry
“Howling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/howling. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
