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
ArsTechnica, 20 July 2025
Weather warning sirens are installed outside on tall poles and make a loud wailing sound to warn people in the area when water levels rise, signaling an imminent flood.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 11 July 2025
Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
So, Nan is nowhere near over Guy, and making things more awkward, Theo can hear his wife’s wails on the other side of the door.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
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Verb
Erik is separated from his parents, and the sight of his wailing mother being dragged away causes a distressed Erik to try to rejoin them.
—ArsTechnica, 20 July 2025
Weather warning sirens are installed outside on tall poles and make a loud wailing sound to warn people in the area when water levels rise, signaling an imminent flood.
—Rebecca Hersher, NPR, 11 July 2025
Noun
Thousands of cell phone lights and ear-piercing wails accompanied it.
—Kirsten Fiscus, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
So, Nan is nowhere near over Guy, and making things more awkward, Theo can hear his wife’s wails on the other side of the door.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 June 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 30 Jul. 2025.
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