yowl
Americanverb (used without object)
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yowls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
yowled,
past participle, past
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yowling
present participle
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
yowlsimple
-
yowlssimple
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have yowledperfect
-
has yowledperfect
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am yowlingprogressive
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are yowlingprogressive
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is yowlingprogressive
-
have been yowlingperfect progressive
-
has been yowlingperfect progressive
Past
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yowledsimple
-
had yowledperfect
-
was yowlingprogressive
-
were yowlingprogressive
-
had been yowlingperfect progressive
Future
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 )
Explanation
A yowl is a loud cry or howl, especially one that an animal makes. If you accidentally step on your cat's tail, you'll probably hear her yowl. Poor kitty. Use this imitative word as a noun or a verb, any time you're describing a wild cry of distress. Your new puppy may yowl all night long the first couple of times you make him sleep in a crate at the foot of your bed — and if his yowling goes on too long, you may find yourself starting to yowl along with him.
Vocabulary lists containing yowl
Into the Wild
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Yelping and Yowling: Synonyms for "Cry"
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Louisiana’s Way Home
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
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 ● Nov. 11, 2025
The cathartic yowl at the start of his debut solo single, “Crazy Train,” was telling: “All aboooooardd!”
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2025
Adam looks up from his phone every now and again and starts to see a chair in his apartment rocking of its own free will; his cats gather at the door and yowl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2023
At 61, Rose's vocals aren't what they once were, but he can still pull off a wolverine yowl when he warms up - and his snarling delivery remains convincingly menacing.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2023
But Harry was in a party mood, so he cleared his throat and began: “When I’m calling youuuuuuuu Oooo-oooo-oooo Oooo-oooo-oooo—” Harry had a delightful yowl that went very well with the lyrics of the song.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
He had heard a tip from some former clients that the mournful yowls of lynx had been heard overnight near the public viewing area, so we reinstalled ourselves nearby on his secret mountain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Other breeds like Pomeranians and Chihuahuas are equally vocal, albeit with yips and yowls rather than bellowing howls.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2023
“I feel like letting my freak flag fly,” Crosby yowls over dueling electric guitars in this beautifully scratchy declaration of weirdo pride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
Robotnik, who also goes by the name Eggman, eggs them on with gleeful yowls.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2022
Faint and far above came Wolf’s frenzied yowls: Where are you?
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
John Wall skipped and yowled at the end of practice Saturday.
From Washington Times ● May 14, 2017
During the ride, Grenoble periodically yowled in pain and complained about the handcuffs, at one point saying he couldn’t feel his hands.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 17, 2015
In "Tupelo," Cave yowled of a prodigal infant born into the world, its future preordained.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2014
Westerberg and Stinson yowled their vocals like stray cats, and Foley crisply, deftly negotiated the rhythmic turns on "Merry Go Round."
From Chicago Tribune ● Jul. 5, 2011
Donovan yowled, “Greg, you threw me off. I didn’t see a thing.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
In one number, Swinton, who goes glossy-eyed to show the cracks in her high-fashion veneer, poses in a transparent rain slicker while bleating raw, yowling noises that blend with the despairing strings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024
"It's three-tiered, with a nasal low register, a yowling, cutting middle range and a high register so startlingly clear it sounds like a falsetto," Pareles wrote in a 1987 concert review.
From Reuters ● May 24, 2023
Directed by Boyle and written by Craig Pearce, it celebrates the punk spirit of authenticity and exudes love for the Pistols’ yowling chaos.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2022
They released the dog and watched from a distance as he ran from one grave to another, then jumped on Jessica’s and started yowling.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 1, 2021
He knew he sounded cross but he needed to think, and Abby’s yowling did not help.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
