wailed; wailing; wails
1
: to express sorrow audibly : lament
2
: to make a sound suggestive of a mournful cry
3
: to express dissatisfaction plaintively : complain
1
: to say or express plaintively
wailed that her cake was ruined
2
archaic
: bewail
Synonyms
Examples of wail in a Sentence
Verb
The child started wailing after she stumbled and fell.
A saxophone wailed in the background.
“No! I don't want to go!” he wailed.
She wailed that the vacation was ruined.
Noun
the wail of a siren
a prolonged wail arose from every corner of the city as the victims of the earthquake were unearthed from the rubble
Recent Examples on the Web
Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
How to ease ear discomfort in kids Those little ones who are wailing during takeoff and landing are likely feeling some serious discomfort, as the mechanisms in their ears may still be developing.
—Blane Bachelor, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail 
Verb
His song of lament is accompanied by Carlos Arévalo’s wailing guitar, and crescendos with a full-on choir.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
How to ease ear discomfort in kids Those little ones who are wailing during takeoff and landing are likely feeling some serious discomfort, as the mechanisms in their ears may still be developing.
—Blane Bachelor, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wail.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wail. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
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