yowl
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has yowledperfect 3rd person singular
-
have yowledperfect
-
are yowlingprogressive
-
has been yowlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
am yowlingprogressive 1st person singular
-
is yowlingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
yowlingparticiple
-
have been yowlingperfect progressive
-
yowlssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had yowledperfect
-
were yowlingprogressive plural
-
yowledsimple
-
was yowlingprogressive singular
-
yowledparticiple
-
had been yowlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of yowl
1175–1225; Middle English yuhele, yule, youle, apparently from a cry of pain or distress yuhele; compare Old English geoh- (in geohthu grief )
Explanation
A yowl is a loud cry or howl, especially one that an animal makes. If you accidentally step on your cat's tail, you'll probably hear her yowl. Poor kitty. Use this imitative word as a noun or a verb, any time you're describing a wild cry of distress. Your new puppy may yowl all night long the first couple of times you make him sleep in a crate at the foot of your bed — and if his yowling goes on too long, you may find yourself starting to yowl along with him.
Vocabulary lists containing yowl
Into the Wild
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Yelping and Yowling: Synonyms for "Cry"
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Louisiana’s Way Home
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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.
But they had connected him to a current of fury, and the urge to yowl for justice or revenge flooded his throat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 11, 2025
The cathartic yowl at the start of his debut solo single, “Crazy Train,” was telling: “All aboooooardd!”
From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025
Adam looks up from his phone every now and again and starts to see a chair in his apartment rocking of its own free will; his cats gather at the door and yowl.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023
At 61, Rose's vocals aren't what they once were, but he can still pull off a wolverine yowl when he warms up - and his snarling delivery remains convincingly menacing.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2023
A few blocks past Specimen's house he heard a yowl from the bushes beside him.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
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.
