as in to howl
to make a long loud mournful sound Arab women ululating with grief

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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 ululate Individual voices — chanting, ululating, cracking, squealing, howling — gradually emerge over speakers, as does a soft, smooth choral harmony underneath. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2020 No, but their enjoyment of their visit to The Bean stands to be dramatically impaired if the immediately surrounding area becomes a boisterous daily forum for competing religious, political and social activists ululating for attention. Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 17 Sep. 2019 Memes of women praising the crown prince and ululating in celebration danced around the Internet. Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2019 Women ululated as Francis and the king walked along the promenade of the Hassan Tower complex under umbrellas. Amira El Masaiti, The Seattle Times, 31 Mar. 2019 The crowd ululates and the black BMW disappears as supporters cut toward it. Laignee Barron / Kedah, Time, 8 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ululate
Verb
  • Women in the front row of his shows now howled for D’Angelo to disrobe.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Somewhere below us, the futureless girl began to howl.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There are up to 20,000 rabid people raining down their emotions from all angles, a dozen sticks clattering, two dozen skates carving, all those burly bodies bumping into each other and banging into the boards, plus an endless stream of screaming and grunting and cursing.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The professional chef, who had never smelled her own feet before, screamed as Barrymore picked up her foot and gave it a sniff.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ululate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ululate. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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