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

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

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

From Salon • Jul. 26, 2025

“Noid” was dense and menacing, Tyler’s flow somewhere between a growl and a yowl; “Darling, I” was light and whimsical but almost painfully yearning too.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2024

To communicate, they grunt and yowl and gesture with a serio-comic zeal that earned my reluctant admiration.

From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2024

Just as she said these words, there was a bang, which was followed by a long, bone-chilling yowl, which was, in turn, followed by a very loud scream.

From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo