howl

 
Pronunciation: /haʊl/

noun

  • a long, doleful cry uttered by an animal such as a dog or wolf.
  • a loud cry of pain, fear, anger, or amusement: he let out a howl of anguish figurative I got howls of protest from readers
  • a prolonged wailing noise such as that made by a strong wind: they listened to the howl of the gale
  • Electronics a wailing noise in a loudspeaker due to feedback.

verb

[no object]
  • make a howling sound: he howled in agony the wind howled around the house
  • weep and cry out loudly: a baby started to howl
  • [with object] (howl someone down) shout in disapproval in order to prevent a speaker from being heard: they howled me down and called me a chauvinist

Origin:

Middle English houle (verb), probably imitative