yowl

[ youl ]
/ yaʊl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR yowl ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to utter a long, distressful or dismal cry, as an animal or a person; howl.

noun

a yowling cry; a howl.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THESE WORDS FROM BROWN GIRL DREAMING!

Visualize yourself passing this quiz on words from Jacqueline Woodson’s exquisite verse novel “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and then take the quiz to prove you can do it! (Because you can.)
Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of yowl

1175–1225; Middle English yuhele, yule, youle, apparently from a cry of pain or distress yuhele; compare Old English geoh- (in geohthu grief)

Words nearby yowl

you've lost me, You've made your bed, now lie in it, yow, yowe, yowie, yowl, yowler, yo-yo, yo-yo dieting, Ypres, Y.P.S.C.E.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to yowl

yelp, wail, whine, cry, screech, bawl, bay, squall, caterwaul, holler, yell, squeal, scream, howl, ululate, mewl, yip

Example sentences from the Web for yowl

British Dictionary definitions for yowl

yowl
/ (jaʊl) /

verb

to express with or produce a loud mournful wail or cry; howl

noun

a loud mournful cry; wail or howl

Derived forms of yowl

yowler, noun

Word Origin for yowl

C13: from Old Norse gaula; related to German jaulen; see yawl ²
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