yowl

American  

[youl] / yaʊl /

verb (used without object)

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

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noun

1. a yowling cry; a howl.

yowl British  

/ jaʊl /

verb

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

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noun

1. a loud mournful cry; wail or howl

Other Word Forms

• yowler noun

Etymology

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 )

Example Sentences

A strange yowling sound was coming from the portrait of Agatha Swanburne, and neither she nor her husband could discover why.

From Literature

One by one, each child yowled a greeting.

From Literature

But they had connected him to a current of fury, and the urge to yowl for justice or revenge flooded his throat.

From The Wall Street Journal

He lacked the abrasiveness or gruffness found in many metal singers, opting instead for a theatrical melodic yowl with silvery overtones.

From Salon

These dogs aren’t huge barkers, but they might yowl at you, especially if you aren’t getting the leash for a walk quickly enough.

From Los Angeles Times