1
: lamentation, complaint
… made a great moan if he had to work …—
D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence2
: a low prolonged sound of pain or of grief
a moan of distress
moaned; moaning; moans
2
a
: to make a moan : groan
b
: to emit a sound resembling a moan
the wind moaned in the trees
Synonyms
Examples of moan in a Sentence
Noun
She let out a long, deep moan.
the moan of the wind
the moan of the car's engine
Verb
The wounded soldier moaned in pain.
He moaned with pleasure as she rubbed his back.
We were all moaning about the cold, rainy weather.
He's always moaning about his salary.
The children were moaning and groaning all morning, but their mother would not let them go outside.
I'm tired of all his moaning and groaning about his salary.
“But I don't want to go,” moaned the boy.
The wind moaned in the trees.
Recent Examples on the WebJenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Minutes later, the suspect is seen fleeing from the apartment and a moan is heard from Perkins’ home, the warrant says.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The corpse of his second wife stirred again and emitted a low, pained moan.
—Hazlitt, 13 Mar. 2024
Reading the emails from school, remembering to pack snacks, buying bigger tops before the old ones get too tight, arranging playdates, vacuuming, supervising homework, potty training, waking in the night to the moans of someone in their cot.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2023
Screams, moans and zombies, as well as dozens of demonic clowns, roamed the Long Beach Convention Center this weekend, all in celebration of the sixth Midsummer Scream convention, celebrating Halloween and horror.
—Jay L. Clendenin, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023
In some cases, groans and moans are the product of discomfort, stiffness or pain.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2023
Murky, atonal music swells into collections of chords that resembles human moans.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2023
Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2024
Fans moan and swear and beg in his comment sections.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
One man moans after an instructor yanks him by the ankles back down the hill.
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
The unborn do not appear to be moaning at us from the void, petitioning to be let into life.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Invariably, parents moan, and adult children cheer.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
Some will moan that Biden can’t muster the once-in-a-generation appeal that Barack Obama sparked in Hollywood in 2008.
—Jon Regardie, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2024
Meanwhile, the stress has induced Whitney into labor, and while Asher crawls on the ceiling Spider Pig-style, Whitney moans in pain on the floor.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 13 Jan. 2024
Whispers floated that competitors from France and other countries were moaning and groaning, too.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2023
Noun
Despite many moans, this is the quietest he’s been all day, his focus completely occupied by the crunch, juice and cheese of the tacos.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Minutes later, the suspect is seen fleeing from the apartment and a moan is heard from Perkins’ home, the warrant says.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Once on the brink of extinction, elephant seals are expanding north into new breeding grounds along the California coast, turning long-empty beaches into a ruckus of roars, grunts, chirps and moans.
—Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024
The corpse of his second wife stirred again and emitted a low, pained moan.
—Hazlitt, 13 Mar. 2024
Reading the emails from school, remembering to pack snacks, buying bigger tops before the old ones get too tight, arranging playdates, vacuuming, supervising homework, potty training, waking in the night to the moans of someone in their cot.
—Nell Frizzell, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2023
Screams, moans and zombies, as well as dozens of demonic clowns, roamed the Long Beach Convention Center this weekend, all in celebration of the sixth Midsummer Scream convention, celebrating Halloween and horror.
—Jay L. Clendenin, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2023
In some cases, groans and moans are the product of discomfort, stiffness or pain.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2023
Murky, atonal music swells into collections of chords that resembles human moans.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2023
Verb
The meal was mostly silent, save for the symphony of metal forks or spoons and my father, the lone vocalist, mumbling or moaning through bites.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2024
Fans moan and swear and beg in his comment sections.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 8 Mar. 2024
One man moans after an instructor yanks him by the ankles back down the hill.
—USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
The unborn do not appear to be moaning at us from the void, petitioning to be let into life.
—Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024
Invariably, parents moan, and adult children cheer.
—Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 25 Jan. 2024
Some will moan that Biden can’t muster the once-in-a-generation appeal that Barack Obama sparked in Hollywood in 2008.
—Jon Regardie, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Jan. 2024
Meanwhile, the stress has induced Whitney into labor, and while Asher crawls on the ceiling Spider Pig-style, Whitney moans in pain on the floor.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 13 Jan. 2024
Whispers floated that competitors from France and other countries were moaning and groaning, too.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English mone, from Old English *mān
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of moan was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing moan
Dictionary Entries Near moan
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moan. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
moan
1 of 2 noun1
: a long low sound indicating pain or grief
2
: a sound like a moan
moan
2 of 2 verb
More from Merriam-Webster on moan
Nglish: Translation of moan for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of moan for Arabic Speakers
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