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
-
The boys were grinding today, my goodness.—
Mark Anderson,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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Antonelli had actually just managed to pass Russell on track on lap 61 before grinding to a halt a lap later.—
Jonathan M. Gitlin,
ArsTechnica,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Joseph, Nomkhitha and the children stood silently around the dining-room table, trying to calm their pounding hearts; the littlest ones shivered from the cold and fear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
Eight miles down the road, Ragsdale’s friend and Alva’s former ESL teacher Lisa Weinstein woke up to pounding at her door.—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
Verb
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The crushing win followed England's own big win at Lord's and sends the series to a decider in Nottingham starting on Thursday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 June 2026
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Then the two in the final three holes that sealed the crushing near-miss.—
Nick Pietruszkiewicz,
Hartford Courant,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
And while the titular ambulance chaser naturally holds court for six seasons (beating Breaking Bad by one), equally excellent turns by Jonathan Banks and Rhea Seehorn ensure this multi-award-winning series works as both the perfect prequel and a bingeable standalone drama.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
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White won by a 2-point margin, beating Shaikh by just under 400 votes.—
Sophia Eppley,
AJC.com,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Braying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braying. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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