YOWL Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

yowl 1 of 2

noun

Definition of yowl

as in howl

a loud vocal expression of strong emotion the cat gave a yowl of anger

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

yowl

2 of 2

verb

ˈyau̇(-ə)l

as in to complain

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely a bitterly cold winter that had people yowling about their heating bills

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to howl

to make a long loud mournful sound coyotes yowling at the moon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of yowl

Noun

Squeeze the throttle pedal firmly to the carpet and the engine room answers with more forward thrust, the 9-speed kicking down several gears nearly instantly, and the car rushing onward with accompaniment of a classic but subtle straight six yowl. — Mark Ewing, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025 Liam sang most of the songs in his reedy yowl, all charisma with his hands pulled behind his back, head tilted up toward the sky and a parka often inexplicably zipped all the way up to his chin. — Paula Mejía, Vulture, 5 July 2025

Verb

Whatever Laura’s up to involves circles and water and whatever’s gone wrong with Oliver — and, quite possibly, her pet dog (dead and stuffed) and cat (alive and yowling through the movie). — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025 In the clip, Mees opens the door for the yowling Crush, who quickly paws inside and jumps up on a side table next to Cora's crib. — Kelli Bender, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for yowl

Recent Examples of Synonyms for yowl

Noun

The second slide was a video (without sound) of the couple’s first kiss, which King prefaced with what looked like a howl of joy, followed by a series of passionate kisses and an arms-in-the-air yelp from the groom.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
With every whimper, sigh, howl, bark and head tilt, these dogs create an empathetic portrayal of a highly intelligent creature that has been through battle and has the scars (and nightmares) to prove it.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of howl

Noun

They are greeted by shouts of the lucky ARMY members on hand to witness the warm-up, as the men take their turns on the mic before heading to the green room to chill.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Oct. 2026
First of all, a special shout out should go to whomever came up with the Coastal Carolina branded Game Boy Color.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of shout

Noun

Her friend’s cries mixed with the sound of police car sirens before officers arrived and escorted students and staff out the building.

— Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
When news got around that a new movie version of Sense and Sensibility was in the works, cries of dismay rang forth from Bath to Brooklyn.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of cry

Verb

This contract then frees me, within the pages of the notebook, to do anything—to write or draw, or paint, to whine and complain, to plot and scheme—to fail or succeed without fear.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of whine

Noun

The eye chart reads like a shriek, and the teddy bear has extra limbs.

— John Wilkerson, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
From 2007 through 2024, a similar shriek, from another eagle, could pull the attention of 20,000 men, women and children from the hot dogs in their laps and the game programs in their hands to the skies above.

— Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of shriek

Verb

It's been a big few months for Austin Abrams moaning and groaning his way through some of the worst situations imaginable.

— Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.

— Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of moan

Browse Nearby Words

youths

yowl

yowled

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Yowl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/yowl. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of yowl

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes