howl
Americanverb (used without object)
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howls,
present (3rd person singular)
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howled,
past participle, past
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howling
present participle
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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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howls,
present (3rd person singular)
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howled,
past participle, past
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howling
present participle
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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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howls
plural
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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:
“Outgoing,” said Oleh Ihnatiyev, one of the fishermen, as the ice emitted a ghostly howl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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
We can howl about how this stuff hurts the business of up-and-coming fighters, but aging punchers grabbing late checks is a staple of the trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
I limped as fast as I could toward the Mongol gunner’s position, clamping my teeth together to prevent a howl.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
There are predictable howls to fire the manager, to fire the general manager, and maybe half of the team as well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Loudspeakers at O-World, which has been closed to visitors since Neukgu's escape, have been blaring wolf howls and park announcements - the ones that Neukgu grew up listening to.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
Short-range cues still matter: ravens might be following signals like wolf howls to find fresh kills at shorter distances.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 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
‘But where the warg howls, there also the orc prowls.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
At a Halloween dog parade in the East Village, Poppy, Thrun’s Frenchie, lay in the sun dressed as a taco while the ancestral gray wolves howled in their graves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
"It's been tearing me apart, I'm so sorry," he howled, as he revealed to the remaining faithfuls that he'd always been a traitor.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
With howled, deadpan lyrics like on “Join in the Chant,” McCarthy set a template for how punk’s urgency could lock into dance music’s meticulousness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025
“Drop” opens up with bare-bones looped beatboxing before threading in dramatic melody upon layers of synth and howled refrains.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025
Beowulf howled, forgetting his words for a moment.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
A star-struck public was howling for his inclusion, blind to the weekly evidence that he was nowhere near the player he used to be.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Seven-foot waves tossed the boat in a howling gale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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
"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
Some had mouths open, as if singing, or howling, or perhaps screaming.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
