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howler

[ hou-ler ]
/ ˈhaʊ lər /
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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.
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Origin of howler

First recorded in 1790–1800; howl + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use howler in a sentence

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
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