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
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
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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Each year, as the weather improves, Russia has moved its grinding war of attrition up a gear.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The war then settled into a grinding pace, with Russia slowly regaining the upper hand.—
Olivier Kempf,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The same neighbor also saw him, on another occasion, pounding on Wilkens’ back door with what looked like a metal pipe.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
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Florida began its national title defense with the second-largest victory margin in NCAA Tournament history, pounding Prairie View A&M 114-55 on Friday night.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If the Red Sea remains closed, if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, then the global economy very quickly, within weeks, goes into recession and brings crushing stagflation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Instead, the Dodgers’ clutch middle-of-the-order threat was able to toy with the Arizona Diamondbacks, crushing a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning to power a 3-2 victory and a 3-0 start to the season.—
Doug Padilla,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After beating Atlanta last Friday without Jaylen Brown and Charlotte on Sunday without Brown and Derrick White, Boston flopped in a rematch with the Hawks, losing 112-102 without a crew of contributors headlined by a resting Jayson Tatum.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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Lawson’s Blue Devils relished their March Madness at the downtown arena on Friday night, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the corner by Ashlon Jackson to stun storied LSU in a Sweet 16 contest.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Braying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/braying. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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