Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To utter a long loud mournful cry; wail.
  • intransitive verb To say or utter with a yowl.
  • noun A long loud mournful cry; a wail.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To give a long distressful or mournful cry, as a dog; howl; hence, of persons, to yell; bawl.
  • noun A long distressful or mournful cry, as that of a dog.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To utter a loud, long, and mournful cry, as a dog; to howl; to yell.
  • noun A loud, protracted, and mournful cry, as that of a dog; a howl.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A prolonged, loud cry, like the sound of an animal; a wail; a howl.
  • verb intransitive Utter a yowl.
  • verb transitive Express by yowling; utter with a yowl.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb cry loudly, as of animals
  • noun a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
  • verb utter shrieks, as of cats

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English yowlen, probably of imitative origin .]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English yollen, past participle of yellen ("to yell"). More at yell, yollen.

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Examples

  • Then, suddenly, he heard a sharp and ugly yowl from the bath-house park; and when he stood up he saw, in the pale moonlight, a fox standing on the pavement under the balcony.

    The Wonderful Adventures of Nils 1922

  • Howlin' Wolf yowl, which is richer and more elastic than ever on "Bad as Me," still has a mound of dark brown hair, same style, though thinner, that he's worn since his first album in 1973.

    News - latimes.com 2011

  • Howlin' Wolf yowl, which is richer and more elastic than ever on "Bad as Me," still has a mound of dark brown hair, same style, though thinner, that he's worn since his first album in 1973.

    News - latimes.com 2011

  • Howlin' Wolf yowl, which is richer and more elastic than ever on "Bad as Me," still has a mound of dark brown hair, same style, though thinner, that he's worn since his first album in 1973.

    News - latimes.com 2011

  • "yowl," that filled the whole valley, and reverberating from the cliffs, appeared continuous.

    The Cliff Climbers A Sequel to "The Plant Hunters" Mayne Reid 1850

  • You want to yowl at her that you've got three friggin' kids, two horses and a crappy job selling clothes to women who couldn't operate a sewing machine.

    Lunch Hour Traci Moore 2011

  • Along with Caleb's sentimental yowl, the Kings of Leon consistently define a chorus with ricocheting guitar riffs and reliable eighth-note bass lines -- all gleaned from the gospel according to U2.

    Kings of Leon bemoan their rock stardom on latest album, 'Come Around Sundown' Chris Richards 2010

  • Well, my friend and good comrade, the Kilkenny cats fought till neither hide, nor hair, nor yowl, was left.

    In a Far Country 2010

  • Frontman Frank Black's signature high-pitched yowl sounds just like it did in the 80s -- maybe even clearer.

    Carly Schwartz: Rock Is Most Definitely Not Dead Carly Schwartz 2011

  • Frontman Frank Black's signature high-pitched yowl sounds just like it did in the 80s -- maybe even clearer.

    Carly Schwartz: Rock Is Most Definitely Not Dead Carly Schwartz 2011

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