1
as in cry
a crying out in grief
a prolonged wail arose from every corner of the city as the victims of the earthquake were unearthed from the rubble
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in groan
a long low sound indicating pain or grief
rescuers heard a faint wail coming from the pile of rubble, a sure sign that one of the victims was still alive
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
a transit fare increase that is sure to bring wails from the straphangers
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1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the state's residents are always wailing about their high taxes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to groan
to utter a moan
the patient lay in her bed, occasionally softly wailing in pain
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wail
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
The wail of sirens echoed through Marysville on Thursday morning as hundreds lined D Street to honor a fallen officer — the first Marysville police officer killed in the line of duty in more than a century — whose body was ushered to a Placer County funeral home.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2025
He’s got his wizardly role down to a science, wailing each of his biting one-liners with crisp economy.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
Noun
People judge others for the precise pitch of their wails.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025
The wail of sirens echoed through Marysville on Thursday morning as hundreds lined D Street to honor a fallen officer — the first Marysville police officer killed in the line of duty in more than a century — whose body was ushered to a Placer County funeral home.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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
He’s got his wizardly role down to a science, wailing each of his biting one-liners with crisp economy.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail
Noun
-
The last flareup in the early 2010s involved a string of self-immolation incidents that critics called a desperate cry against the Chinese government’s ever-tightening grip on Tibetan society.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
1 May 2025
-
The cry here is not one of vulnerability or angst but the unruly register of creative freedom, of calling your power back.—
Harmony Holiday,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The motor produces a whine that is noticeable but not distracting.—
William Roberson,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Israel Hernandez heard the faint whine of sirens outside his Wilmington apartment and looked up just in time to see a minivan crash into another vehicle as police gave chase.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
During a ski vacation in the seventh episode, Ginny complains that Nick is not being fully present with her friends.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
-
One Truist customer complained on DownDetector that their rent payment has been pending since Thursday evening.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
The crowd of 60 howled through most of the evening.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The girl howled, writhing in a dark puddle on the ground.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Both, however, are outside, in the 17 and 18 posts, the crowd audibly groaning when their positions were announced.—
Dana O'Neil,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
-
An Associated Press reporter who witnessed the execution said that Mahdi cried out as the shots hit him and then groaned twice about 45 seconds after that.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
And there, like an old friend, is Cronenberg’s regular composer Howard Shore with a synth moan to keep the mood unnerving.—
Robert Abele,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
-
The audience thought his moans were all part of the act.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The long-standing lament that Latin American conservatives, centrists, and leftists share is that whereas the United States comes to the region to punish and lecture, China comes to trade.—
Will Freeman,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2025
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Deeply layered and emotionally charged, the work reads like a visual lament, for what’s been lost, what still remains, and the unresolved stories that continue to flow beneath the surface.—
Nel-Olivia Waga,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
People could be heard screaming and crying in the video, which appeared to show several people injured on the ground and baggage strewn about, as first responders attended to the scene.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
4 May 2025
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Her lawyers and family members also celebrated by screaming and hugging each other, per a video from the courtroom.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
3 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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