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:
"It's okay to jump up and down and howl at the moon," he added.
From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026
Hanson let out a gleeful howl when he found one rising 2 feet above his head, representing 2 feet of growth every year since the KNP Complex fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
There is so much to shout and angst about - or might I say howl at the moon about.
From BBC ● Mar. 7, 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
The weather systems, with winds of up to 200 miles per hour that howl up from Antarctica, are one reason it is so treacherous.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
Predictably, Auburn’s faculty has responded with howls of outrage, decrying these intrusions on the faculty’s authority over academic operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 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
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
Rootbeer howls and tries to climb the tree with her short legs.
From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins
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
They veiled the stage in gauze on “Copy of A,” casting dozens of Reznor shadows while he strutted and howled about a despondent, depersonalized modernity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2025
When Noah and I took the win, we howled.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
The Nightbeast howled, and a pang of sorrow hit Seven.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Unverified images on social media show large plumes of smoke and flames rising into the sky in daytime, with air raid sirens howling in the background.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
But some residents aren’t so enthused with the nightly howling, saying that it’s disruptive and keeps them from getting a full night’s sleep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Desperate, he led his army back across the Delaware River through a howling nor’easter on Christmas night to attack the surprised Hessian garrison at Trenton, N.J.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 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
He stood on his hind legs and threw his head skyward, howling like the possessed monster they thought him to be.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
