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howl down

B2 informal separable transitive

In simple words

When a crowd shouts and yells so loudly that a speaker cannot be heard and is forced to stop.

Literal meaning: To howl (like an animal) in order to drive something downward — suppress it.

Meanings

1 B2 idiomatic informal

uncommon

For an audience or crowd to silence a speaker through loud, hostile shouting or jeering.

"The minister was howled down before she could finish her first sentence."

Grammar: separable

Usage notes

Common in political and parliamentary reporting, particularly Australian and British English. The subject is typically a crowd, audience, or group of protesters. Implies hostility and collective action.

Commonly used with

speaker politician audience crowd proposal motion

Forms

Base

howl down

I/you/we/they

3rd person

howls down

he/she/it

Past simple

howled down

yesterday

Past participle

howled down

have + pp

-ing form

howling down

continuous

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Synonyms

shout down boo down jeer down drown out silence heckle into silence

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