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
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.
The trees around us, columns of carbon, creaked in the howling wind. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025 This part of the country is more accustomed to Snow Squall Warnings, in which intense bands of snow can drop visibility quickly to zero and are accompanied by howling winds. Meredith Garofalo, Space.com, 7 June 2025 Outside, the wind was howling, and the rain was sideways. Salena Zito, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025 There was fire, howling and copious amounts of hip-shaking during Shakira’s two-hour Camping World Stadium show Wednesday night. Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for howl

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Howl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/howl. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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
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