howler

[hou-ler]

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that howls.

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

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

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

howler

/ ˈhaʊlə /

noun

1. 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

2. informal,  a glaring mistake

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

4. a person or thing that howls

Word History and Origins

Origin of howler¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; howl + -er ¹

Example Sentences

On occasion those offering a majority opinion screech like howler monkeys.

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Non-human primates, including howler monkeys and sloths, can also be infected with Oropouche, which is why the disease is sometimes nicknamed “sloth fever.”

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On a night of redemption for the England defender, Mings returned to the scene of his howler - and helped Villa take a huge step towards the quarter-finals of European football's most prestigious competition.

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As the researchers note, arboreal howlers are extremely slow-moving primates who are very careful about the way they exert their energy.

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Mexico has also been baking under a heat wave so intense that howler monkeys have literally been dropping dead from the trees.

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

• blunder 
• failure 
• fault 
• flaw 
• glitch 
• inaccuracy 
• lapse 
• miscalculation www.thesaurus.com
• miscue 
• misdeed 
• mismanagement www.thesaurus.com
• misstep 
• misunderstanding 
• offense 
• omission 
• sin 
• transgression 
• wrongdoing