howls

7 definitions • 14 examples

If a dog or wolf howls, it makes a long, sad sound:

In the silence of the night, a lone wolf howled.

to make a loud sound, usually to express pain, sadness, or another strong emotion:

howl with/in An injured dog lay in the middle of the road, howling with/in pain.

howl with laughter We were howling with laughter.

howl someone/something down figurative The opposition howled down the government's proposal (= shouted loudly to express disapproval).

If the wind howls, it blows hard and makes a lot of noise:

Is there someone outside, or is it just the wind howling in the trees?

a long, loud, sad sound:

the howl of the wind in the trees

He leaves his dog shut up in the house all day, and we can hear its howls.

howl of She let out a howl of pain.

a strong expression of emotion, such as anger or disagreement:

howl of Plans to build a new supermarket have been greeted with howls of protest from local residents.

to make a long, high, crying sound, like that of a dog:

Toby stepped on a nail, and he howled in pain.

The wind howled.

[ + that clause ] fig. The senators kept howling (= loudly complaining) that there was not enough money in the budget to pay for the president’s plan.

a long, high, crying sound:

the howl of the wind

fig. The loudest howl (= strongly expressed complaint) seemed to come from farmers in the Midwest.