howl (redirected from howls)

howl someone down and hoot someone down

Fig. to yell at or boo someone's performance; to force someone to stop talking by yelling or booing. The audience howled the inept magician down. They howled down the musician.

howl at someone or something 

1. Lit. [for a canine] to bay at someone or something. The dog howls at me when I play the trumpet. The wolves howled at the moon and created a terrible uproar.

2. and hoot at someone or something Fig. to yell out at someone or something. The audience howled at the actors and upset them greatly. We hooted at the singer until he stopped.

3. Fig. to laugh very hard at someone or something. Everyone just howled at Tom's joke. I howled at the story Alice told.

howl with something

to yell or holler because of something, such as pain. Roger howled with pain as the needle went into his arm. Mary howled with grief when she saw what had happened to her roses.