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
  • The living room and bedrooms faced 96th, a crosstown corridor over which ambulances and police cars sped day and night, their sirens howling.
    — Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of howl
Verb
  • In June 2016, Blair, who was returning to Los Angeles from a vacation in Cancun, Mexico, began screaming uncontrollably and causing chaos on the flight.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Back in California, Dodgers fans screamed at their television sets.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 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 14 Oct. 2026.

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