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
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
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 15 Apr. 2025
About an hour after the killing, the victim’s girlfriend was wailing uncontrollably at the murder scene, witnesses said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2025
Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 7 Apr. 2025
Expect to hear the unmistakable wail of a vintage F1 car echoing across the speedway, the guttural roar of classic V8s ripping through gears, and the shriek of modern hypercars proving their worth on the track.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
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Verb
Daredevil wails on them with (non-lethal!) fury, whereas Frank… well, he is called The Punisher.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 15 Apr. 2025
About an hour after the killing, the victim’s girlfriend was wailing uncontrollably at the murder scene, witnesses said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
One of three childhood friends reunited for an extravagant girl’s weekend, Laurie has contained a simmering sadness and rage since the first episode, when seeing her besties, Jaclyn and Kate, chatting and laughing sent her into a wail of despair.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 7 Apr. 2025
Expect to hear the unmistakable wail of a vintage F1 car echoing across the speedway, the guttural roar of classic V8s ripping through gears, and the shriek of modern hypercars proving their worth on the track.
—Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wail. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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