howl
Americanverb (used without object)
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to utter a loud, prolonged, mournful cry, as that of a dog or wolf.
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to utter a similar cry in distress, pain, rage, etc.; wail.
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to make a sound like an animal howling.
The wind howls through the trees.
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Informal. to go on a spree; enjoy oneself without restraint.
verb (used with object)
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to utter with howls.
to howl the bad news.
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to drive or force by howls (often followed bydown ).
to howl down the opposition.
noun
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the cry of a dog, wolf, etc.
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a cry or wail, as of pain, rage, or protest.
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a sound like wailing.
the howl of the wind.
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a loud, scornful laugh or yell.
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something that causes a laugh or a scornful yell, as a joke or funny or embarrassing situation.
noun
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a long plaintive cry or wail characteristic of a wolf or hound
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a similar cry of pain or sorrow
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slang
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a person or thing that is very funny
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a prolonged outburst of laughter
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electronics an unwanted prolonged high-pitched sound produced by a sound-producing system as a result of feedback
verb
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to express in a howl or utter such cries
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(intr) (of the wind, etc) to make a wailing noise
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informal (intr) to shout or laugh
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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howlsimple
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howlssimple
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have howledperfect
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has howledperfect
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am howlingprogressive
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are howlingprogressive
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is howlingprogressive
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have been howlingperfect progressive
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has been howlingperfect progressive
Past
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howledsimple
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had howledperfect
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was howlingprogressive
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were howlingprogressive
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had been howlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of howl
1300–50; Middle English hulen, houlen (v.); cognate with Dutch huilen, Low German hülen, German heulen, Danish hyle; akin to Old Norse ȳla
Explanation
To howl is to make a long, sad, crying sound. You might howl every once in a while, but it's more common to hear wolves and dogs let loose and howl, especially in the presence of a full moon. Terribly sad or fearful people howl, and wolves howl to communicate with each other. Your dog might howl at the sound of a passing fire truck, which also makes a noise with its siren that you can call a howl. Before the 1400s, the word was houlen, a word that probably emerged as an imitation of the way a howl sounds.
Vocabulary lists containing howl
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 8
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Yelping and Yowling: Synonyms for "Cry"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“The howl of wolves,” we are told, “still filled the night air.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
"It is a howl of pain," said one minister, reflecting that so many people in the Labour Party this weekend are hurting.
From BBC ● May 9, 2026
"It's okay to jump up and down and howl at the moon," he added.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
The howl and whine of the opening few bars of “Chains of Love” conjure images of the ghostly moors, before transforming into a catchy midtempo pop number.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
‘Yes, they’ve found a small herd. The scouts are telling the others where it is, and that they should howl with their muzzles in the snow.’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The angry howls and popping exhaust notes came from a stable of candy-colored Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
In the summer, the temperature is always above 100; in the winter, the wind howls and shakes our townhouse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
"I assume full responsibility for this defeat," an ashen-faced Jospin announced, bowing out of politics to howls of dismay from supporters.
From Barron's ● Mar. 23, 2026
But the response that drew howls was to someone who said he had invested in all of Palihapitiya’s SPACs.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 5, 2026
“It’s always been this way, with every improved brain unit that’s come along. I remember the howls of pain when the Sudermann people showed their old T-14 back in ’18.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Pub owners, lawmakers, travel writers and travel drinkers all howled in protest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
By daybreak, the winds from Typhoon Fung-wong which had howled all night had died down, and people came out to see the damage.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025
“Before the season began, they said, ‘The Dodgers are ruining baseball!’” manager Dave Roberts howled after L.A. steamrolled the low-payroll Brewers to clinch another NLCS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
When Noah and I took the win, we howled.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
A storm howled in from the Atlantic, and for a week they waited out miserable days and nights.
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
Aesthetes had been howling about the Freedom 250 set, a soaring, 92-foot tall structure which resembled one of those arcade machine claws in which you try and fail to grab a stuffed hippopotamus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Caspian “C-Bird” Hollywell’s wide-eyed, frenetic energy and howling vocals come up against the sweet, mournful steel pedal guitar of suit-and-tie-wearing “Razor” Ramon Santos.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
A 19th-Century Anglo-Indian journal derided the voices of boys playing women as "discordant", comparing them unfavourably to "howling jackals".
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2026
"To find wolf kills locally, ravens likely use short-range cues, like monitoring wolf behavior or listening to wolf howling," says Loretto.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 19, 2026
Curled up in his bed, Abel listened despondently to the howling and yowling, the lashing and whistling of the wind.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
