howler

[ hou-ler ]

/ ˈhaʊ lər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR howler ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person, animal, or thing that howls.

Also called howler monkey. any large, prehensile-tailed tropical American monkey of the genus Alouatta, the males of which make a howling noise: some species are endangered.

a mistake, especially an embarrassing one in speech or writing, that evokes laughter; a very humorous mistake or a funny blunder.

Informal. something that makes a piercing and often prolonged noise, as an alarm.

Words nearby howler

howitzer, howk, howl, howl down, howland island, howler, howlet, howlin' wolf, howling, howling success, howlround

Origin of howler

First recorded in 1790–1800; howl + -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for howler

His portrait of Izzy Yanay, a partner in the highly regarded Hudson Valley Foie Gras, is a howler.
A Three-Star Food Fight|Bob Spitz|March 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The operator noticed that the connection was open and put on the howler.
Whispering Wires|Henry Leverage
He is the “Howler” and “the Ruddy One”, and rides a wild boar.
Indian Myth and Legend|Donald Alexander Mackenzie
They were considerably larger than any we had seen; indeed, the howler is the largest monkey in the New World.
On the Banks of the Amazon|W.H.G. Kingston

So, little by little, he began to be spoken of as Howler the Wolf, and after a while everybody called him Howler.
Mother West Wind "How" Stories|Thornton W. Burgess
But when winter comes, Howler and his friends get together and hunt in packs.
The Burgess Animal Book for Children|Thornton W. Burgess

British Dictionary definitions for howler

howler

/ (ˈhaʊlə) /

noun

Also called: howler monkey any large New World monkey of the genus Alouatta, inhabiting tropical forests in South America and having a loud howling cry

informal a glaring mistake

British (formerly) a device that produces a loud tone in a telephone receiver to attract attention when the receiver is incorrectly replaced

a person or thing that howls

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

howler

noun

Words related to howler

Words nearby howler

Origin of howler

Examples from the Web for howler

British Dictionary definitions for howler

noun