Word
howl
US/ˈhaʊɫ/
UK/hˈaʊl/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a long, loud, crying sound made by an animal like a wolf or a dog. People can also make this sound when they are in a lot of pain or find something very funny.
n. a prolonged, loud, and mournful cry characteristic of wolves or dogs; by extension, a similar vocalisation from a human expressing intense emotion.
Examples
“We heard the distant howl of a wolf in the woods.”
“The comedian's opening joke was met with a howl of laughter from the back of the room.”
“The wind rose to a mournful howl as it whipped through the narrow mountain pass, drowning out the voices of the hikers.”
Examples
simple
“We heard the distant howl of a wolf in the woods.”
contextual
“The comedian's opening joke was met with a howl of laughter from the back of the room.”
complex
“The wind rose to a mournful howl as it whipped through the narrow mountain pass, drowning out the voices of the hikers.”
Usage
Often followed by the preposition 'of' to describe the source or emotion, such as a 'howl of pain' or 'howl of the wind'.
Etymology
From Middle English howlen, houlen, from Old English hūlian, from Proto-West Germanic hūilōn, from Proto-Germanic hūwilōną, hiuwilōną (“to howl”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European kū-, kew- (“to howl, scream”). Likely of imitative origin. Cognate with Saterland Frisian huulje (“to howl”), Dutch huilen (“to cry”), Romanian a hăuli (“to howl”), Old French ouler, German Low German hulen (“to howl”), German heulen (“to howl”), Danish hyle (“to howl”), Swedish yla (“to scream, yell”), Northern Luri آلٛیر (āłir, “howl”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Idioms
01. howl at the moon
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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