ululate

verb

ˈəl-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce ululate (audio)
Definition of ululatenext
as in to howl
to make a long loud mournful sound Arab women ululating with grief

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 ululate Weeping and caressing the lifeless Rahaf in her arms, the baby’s mother, Hejar Abu Jazar, kept ululating in despair. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025 Individual voices — chanting, ululating, cracking, squealing, howling — gradually emerge over speakers, as does a soft, smooth choral harmony underneath. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2020 No, but their enjoyment of their visit to The Bean stands to be dramatically impaired if the immediately surrounding area becomes a boisterous daily forum for competing religious, political and social activists ululating for attention. — Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, 17 Sep. 2019 Memes of women praising the crown prince and ululating in celebration danced around the Internet. — Ben Hubbard, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2019 Women ululated as Francis and the king walked along the promenade of the Hassan Tower complex under umbrellas. — Amira El Masaiti, The Seattle Times, 31 Mar. 2019 The crowd ululates and the black BMW disappears as supporters cut toward it. — Laignee Barron / Kedah, Time, 8 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ululate
  1. howl
  2. scream
Verb
  • At the Irish Rep, director Ciarán O’Reilly has brought O’Neill’s expressionist howl back for a swift, sturdy, smaller-scale revival that now feels unnervingly on-the-pulse.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The masked figure then loops back, and a howling Wood appears in the frame.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of howl
Verb
  • Set the scene The Homestead screams quirky, artful, and vintage yet restored—capturing a whimsical, fairytale ambiance embellished with hints of Southern charm.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In reviewing the body camera footage, police found that the child was standing on the stairwell at one point and was screaming while holding her left arm up in the air, according to the warrant affidavit.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of scream

Browse Nearby Words

ultrathin
ululate
ululated
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Cite this Entry

“Ululate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ululate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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