A howl is a long, loud, mournful cry, especially the sound wolves and dogs make when calling to each other across distances. At night in the wilderness, wolves howl to communicate with their pack, the sound echoing eerily across miles of forest. Dogs sometimes howl too, particularly certain breeds like huskies, often in response to sirens or other high-pitched sounds.

The word also describes any similar loud, wailing sound. Wind howls through bare tree branches in winter storms. A person might howl with laughter at something hilarious, or howl in pain after an injury. When someone howls in protest, they're complaining loudly and dramatically about something unfair.

A howl can be a noun: “We heard the howl of coyotes in the distance.” The word captures both the sound itself and the feeling it creates: lonely, wild, and impossible to ignore. Whether it's a wolf calling its pack, wind howling through a canyon, or your little brother howling because he lost at checkers, the word suggests something primal and unrestrained.