howled; howling; howls

intransitive verb

1
: to emit a loud sustained doleful sound characteristic of members of the dog family
2
: to cry out loudly and without restraint under strong impulse (such as pain, grief, or amusement)
3
: to go on a spree or rampage

transitive verb

1
: to utter with unrestrained outcry
2
: to drown out or cause to fail by adverse outcry
used especially with down
howl noun

Examples of howl in a Sentence

The dogs were howling at the moon. several coyotes began howling close by as the sun went down
Recent Examples on the Web Some actors howled back in character while staff scrambled to end the interruption. Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 The lake was completely open, an emerald expanse stretching to the horizon, and the wind was howling. Todd Richmond, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 Includes crisp acidity and supporting, but not howling, tannins. Tom Mullen, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Permit me to again summon how this played at the press screening: Half the audience were howling at this scene, delighted by the cruel comedy; half were sitting in stunned silence, observing the profound pain both characters were in. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Feb. 2024 Snow blowing horizontally howled in from the Northwest blanketing everything. Frederick N. Rasmussen, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2024 That stretch, with Carver-Hawkeye Arena howling again, led Iowa on a 9-0 run and a near four-minute scoring drought for the Hoosiers. Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 14 Jan. 2024 Crews worked through the day to try and clear the massive amounts of snow along I-80, where authorities had abandoned hope Friday night amid howling winds and whiteout conditions. Sacramento Bee, 3 Mar. 2024 Damon spends the movie neck-cradling a handset and, if Messina is howling at him on the other end, holding it at a comical distance and grimacing. Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'howl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English houlen; akin to Middle High German hiulen to howl

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of howl was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near howl

Cite this Entry

“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/howl. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

howl

verb
1
: to make a long loud mournful sound like that of a dog
2
: to cry out loudly (as with pain, grief, or amusement)
howled in protest
howling with laughter
3
: to drown out or cause to fail by an outcry
howled down the opposition
howl noun

More from Merriam-Webster on howl

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!