1
as in yelling
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2
as in crying
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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
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Recent Examples of howling
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
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
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
-
Witnesses recorded a video of Barranco screaming in pain as four agents piled on top of him and punched him during the arrest.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Late in the second quarter of Sunday night’s game at Madison Square Garden, with the lead slipping away in what would eventually be a 110-107 Warriors loss to the Knicks, Steve Kerr was caught on camera screaming and pointing at Will Richard after a turnover.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 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
-
The bill doesn’t have any vocal opposition, Irwin said, but the Legislature has failed to pass it on previous occasions.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
23 Mar. 2026
-
This is much to the chagrin of its rather vocal critics.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
23 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
-
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 24 Mar. 2026.
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