ululate

U1L1U1L1A1T1E1
/ˈjuːljuleɪt//ˈʌljəleɪt/

verb

To howl loudly or prolongedly in lamentation or joy.

Similar
bayhowlwailroaryawlyaup
OriginLatin ululō, ululātus →
Scrabble 7
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Meanings

verbululate (third-person singular simple present ululates, present participle ululating, simple past and past participle ululated)

present singular third person ululates · participle present ululating · participle past ululated · past ululated

  1. To howl loudly or prolongedly in lamentation or joy.

    Women dance in tight circles, ululating with joy, while groups of men sit nearby watching.

    2025 June 30, Andrei Popoviciu, “In Sudan, a bride and her village celebrate love in a time of war”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 03 Jul 2025
    1 more example

    Should I ever marry, Watson, I should hope to inspire my wife with some feeling which would prevent her from being walked off by a housekeeper when my corpse was lying within a few yards of her. It was badly stage-managed; for even the rawest investigators must be struck by the absence of the usual feminine ululation.

    1915, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear

    Synonyms: bay, howl, wail

  2. To produce a rapid and prolonged series of sharp noises with one's voice.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo howl loudly or prolongedly in lamentation or joy.

Similar
bayhowlwail

More synonyms by meaning

verbemit long loud cries

Similar
howlwailroaryawlyaup
Broader
shoutshout outcry
Also see
howlroarwailyaupyawl

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinululō, ululātus
  2. Englishululate

Borrowed from Latin ululō, ululātus, of imitative origin. Cognate with Spanish aullar (“to howl”) and ulular (“to hoot”), and French ululer (“to howl”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian вия
  • вия (vija)to howl loudly
Catalan ulular, udolar
  • ulularto howl loudly
  • udolarto howl loudly
Czech skučet
  • skučetto howl loudly
Dutch ululeren
  • ululerento howl loudly
Finnish ulvoa
  • ulvoato howl loudly
French ululer, hululer
  • ululerto howl loudly
  • hululerto howl loudly
German heulen
  • heulento howl loudly
Greek αλαλάζω
  • αλαλάζω (alalázo)to howl loudly
Hungarian üvölt
  • üvöltto howl loudly
Italian ululare
  • ululareto howl loudly
Korean 울다, 울부짖다
  • 울다 (ulda)to howl loudly
  • 울부짖다 (ulbujitda)to howl loudly
  • 우짖다 (ujitda)to howl loudly
Latin ululō
  • ululōto howl loudly
Polish zawodzić, wyć
  • zawodzićto howl loudly
  • wyćto howl loudly
  • lamentowaćto howl loudly
Portuguese ulular
  • ulularto howl loudly
Romanian urla
  • urlato howl loudly
Spanish ulular
  • ulularto howl loudly
Cite this entry
APA

ululate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ululate

MLA

“ululate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ululate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ululate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ululate.

Source: ululate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.