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
1
: to bewail audibly : lament
moaning the loss
2
: to utter with moans
"My stomach hurts," she moaned.
2
a
: to make a moan : groan
injured patients moaning
b
: to emit a sound resembling a moan
The wind moaned in the trees.
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 Web
Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Two microphones angle towards the duduk to capture resonant moans, creaks, squeaks and honks akin to the bridge’s.
—Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Lauren Caruba, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moan
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Noun
The song eventually escalates into a lecherous, breathless, glittering climax of incandescent synthesizers and melodic moans—an erotic asphyxiation depicted as utterly glorious.
—Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026
Two microphones angle towards the duduk to capture resonant moans, creaks, squeaks and honks akin to the bridge’s.
—Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Verb
Strapped to a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, the shooting victim moaned, then screamed.
—Lauren Caruba, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moan
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moan. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
moan
1 of 2 noun1
: a long low sound indicating pain or grief
2
: a sound like a moan
moan
2 of 2 verbLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
