German word

heulen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈhɔʏ̯lən/

Meaning

  • verbwail

Example

Das Baby heult die ganze Nacht.

The baby is wailing all night long.

Illustration for heulen (wail)

More examples

Beim Abschied heulte sie vor Rührung.

When saying goodbye, she wailed with emotion.

Core concept

A long, loud, mournful cry that carries through the air from a baby, animal, or gust of wind.

Common phrases

  • heult vor Schmerz

    wail from pain

  • heult die ganze Nacht

    wail all night

  • heult vor Kummer

    wail from grief

Similar words

weinen: To shed tears while expressing sadness in a quiet way.
schreien: To give a short, loud cry caused by anger or fear.
jammern: To keep expressing pain or dissatisfaction in a complaining voice.
wimmern: To make a weak, faint, hoarse crying sound.

Definition in German

laut und lange kläglich schreien; auch für das Heulen von Tieren oder Wind verwendet

Word origin

Heulen is an inherited Germanic verb related to English howl, and both words refer to a drawn-out cry or sound.

Usage tips

  • For human crying, weinen is usually neutral, while heulen often suggests loud or uncontrolled crying and can sound colloquial.

Other meanings

  • howlverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Heulenwailingnoun
  • heulendwailingadjective
  • Heulereifussnoun

Word lists with this word