as in grinding
to reduce to fine particles
bray the seeds using a mortar and pestle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of braying
Vanessa Bonet of the installation art group Dedo Vabo watched over a mission-control monitor deck, as the buzzing craft climbed into room full of braying hippos in rumpled suits.
—
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
The first of the three legs in an inaugural fundraiser called the Wagora Bike Ride unspools along rocky red clay roads and through rutted jeep tracks, past braying herds of zebra and startled warthogs.
—
Tom Vanderbilt,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
The need to placate a braying mob of X posters desperate to see Lemon in chains does not constitute an emergency.
—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Shortly after the New Year's ball drops (only once) in New York City, the Zohran Mamdani era will begin in the Big Apple and the political horses will be braying at the gates to start the 2026 midterm election season in earnest.
—
James Powel,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
The cool, quiet spring air is punctuated only by Kasbah’s small pack of mules braying nearby, and the tinkling of the riad’s fountain.
—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
As the insignias are cut off his uniform and his sword broken, Dreyfus (played by Louis Garrel) loudly declares his innocence, both to his brothers-in-arms and to the braying public outside the gates.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
14 Aug. 2025
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
The first of the three legs in an inaugural fundraiser called the Wagora Bike Ride unspools along rocky red clay roads and through rutted jeep tracks, past braying herds of zebra and startled warthogs.
—
Tom Vanderbilt,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
The need to placate a braying mob of X posters desperate to see Lemon in chains does not constitute an emergency.
—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Shortly after the New Year's ball drops (only once) in New York City, the Zohran Mamdani era will begin in the Big Apple and the political horses will be braying at the gates to start the 2026 midterm election season in earnest.
—
James Powel,
USA Today,
31 Dec. 2025
The cool, quiet spring air is punctuated only by Kasbah’s small pack of mules braying nearby, and the tinkling of the riad’s fountain.
—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
As the insignias are cut off his uniform and his sword broken, Dreyfus (played by Louis Garrel) loudly declares his innocence, both to his brothers-in-arms and to the braying public outside the gates.
—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for braying
Verb
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The hike includes the park’s east side on the Grasslands Trail, which leads to a Kumeyaay grinding rocks site and the scenic Old Mission Dam overlook.
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Those particles may have been grinding in the joint, causing mechanical wear on the cobalt-chromium femoral head that released cobalt into the surrounding tissue and bloodstream.
Verb
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America is better when Paul Skenes is embarrassing hitters with Livvy in the stands pounding Miller Lites.
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The heart-pounding encounter ended with the calf reunited with its mother, dramatic photos on a cellphone — and the couple continuing on to catch brook trout.
Verb
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But apparently, not even a crushing soccer loss could compete with the power of American hospitality.
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Australia reigned supreme in the T20 World Cup final with a crushing seven-wicket victory over England, completed with 17 balls to spare in front of a Lord’s crowd of 28,887, a record for women’s cricket.
Verb
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El Tri won its first knockout match at a World Cup since 1986, beating Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday night at the majestic Azteca Stadium packed with 80,824 fans.
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In May, just weeks before the ruling, the athlete won the West Virginia Class AAA girls’ shot put state championship with a throw of 38 feet, 11¾ inches, beating the runner-up by just over two feet.
Cite this Entry
“Braying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braying. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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