Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
noun
A prolonged, loud cry, like the sound of an animal; a wail; a howl.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Utter a yowl.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Express by yowling; utter with a yowl.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a very loud utterance (like the sound of an animal)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: bellow, bellowing, holla, holler, hollering, hollo, holloa, roar, roaring
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cry, outcry, call, yell, shout, vociferation
verb
utter shrieks, as of cats
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: caterwaul
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: shriek, shrill, pipe up, pipe
verb
cry loudly, as of animals
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: howl, wrawl, yammer
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: utter, emit, let out, let loose
History
From Middle English youlen, goulen, from Old Norse gaula (“to low, bellow, howl, scream”), related to Icelandic gaula (“to yell, howl, roar”), Faroese geyla (“to bawl, squall, shout, yell, bellow”), Norwegian gaule (“to roar, howl, whine, weep noisily”), dialectal Swedish gjöla, Scots gowl (“to howl, yell, roar”), Shetlandic Scots gjol. Initial y- possibly influenced by Middle English yollen, yellen (“to yell”).
Across languages
34 source translations are retained for this English entry.
