wail

1 of 2

verb

ˈwāl 

wailed; wailing; wails

intransitive verb

1

: to express sorrow audibly : lament

2

: to make a sound suggestive of a mournful cry

3

: to express dissatisfaction plaintively : complain

transitive verb

1

: to say or express plaintively

wailed that her cake was ruined

2

archaic : bewail

wailer

ˈwā-lər 

noun

wail

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a usually prolonged cry or sound expressing grief or pain

b

: a sound suggestive of wailing

the wail of an air-raid siren

c

: a querulous expression of grievance : complaint

2

: the act or practice of wailing : loud lamentation

Synonyms

Verb

• complain
• scream
• whine
• moan

Noun

• cry
• tears
• lamentation
• groan
• howl
• mourning
• moan
• lament
• weeping
• sob
• keen

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

Verb

Probably no one has wailed this role with quite the gusto that Lambert wails it, though many have tried. —Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025

Instead, the main event was a regular monthly test of the historic siren, known formally as an ACA Hurricane 130 MKII model, which ― at precisely noon ― wailed for just over three minutes near North 81st Street and West Bradley Road before settling back into patient silence. —Claudia Levens, jsonline.com, 25 July 2025

Noun

Nangarhar province, Afghanistan CNN — The wail of a woman in a floral dress reverberates through the malnutrition ward and down the stuffy hallways of a hospital in eastern Afghanistan: The unfiltered pain of a mother watching her 1-year-old son die. —Li-Lian Ahlskog Hou, CNN Money, 22 July 2025

Jhon Wilson Vizcaino / AP Another video showed three men cradling a bloodied and limp Uribe, before an ambulance arrived to the sound of wails and screams from the crowd. —Matteo Moschella, NBC news, 8 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English weilen, waylen, perhaps modification (influenced by Middle English weilawei wellaway) of Old Norse væla, vāla to wail; akin to Old Norse vei woe — more at woe

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for wail

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

wail

1 of 2 verb

ˈwā(ə)l 

1

: to express sorrow by mournful cries : lament

2

: to make a sound like a mournful cry

3

: to express dissatisfaction : complain

wailer

ˈwā-lər 

noun

wail

2 of 2 noun

1

: a long cry or sound of grief or pain

2

: a sound like a wail

the wail of a siren