brays 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bray
as in grinds
to reduce to fine particles bray the seeds using a mortar and pestle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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brays

2 of 2

noun

plural of bray
as in bleats

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brays
Verb
The villas are new but already feel ancient (in the best possible way), pitched in a jumble of sugarcane fields, date palms, and donkey brays bellowing from the adjoining farm. — Chris Schalkx, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brays
  1. grinds
  2. bleats
  3. pounds
  4. barks
  5. crushes
  6. cackles
  7. beats
  8. yaps
Verb
  • For anyone who grinds fresh every morning and chases single-origin lots, online talk about mold and mycotoxins in coffee tends to raise a practical question about how the stuff gets onto beans in the first place.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The annual College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), the country’s most important academic event, grinds the nation to almost a halt to ensure the smooth administration of the exam.
    — Lim Hui Jie,Miko Jang, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of grinds
Noun
  • On the southern end of the loop, check out the interactive Bison Center to feel hides, hear the creatures’ varied grunts and bleats, and learn about the park’s efforts to sustainably maintain the herd.
    — Jess Hoffert, Midwest Living, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The real money to be made from the president’s online bleats isn’t in knowing what the US government is going to do.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of bleats
Verb
  • Wyatt pounds Poly, but win or lose the Chaps would be the second seed and Brewer third due to Wyatt’s win over the Bears.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Higher prices come as Ukraine pounds Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of pounds
Noun
  • On his way out, Council obliged Stokes’ request and let out a few barks of his own.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In the other, barking fell from 317 barks per hour to 53, an 83% reduction.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of barks
Verb
  • In Zvyagintsev’s film, the state machine, rather than protect the individual, crushes him.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The head crushes and smashes of so much yesteryear horror often tended to be funny, even if not intentionally so.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of crushes
Noun
  • Janney also compiles plenty of cackles as Polly’s newly sober sister, Silda.
    — Thomas Floyd, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The doc is similarly unflinching in showing the horrific scene from 1900 in which Donald Sutherland’s sadistic fascist murders a young boy in a shockingly callous way, while Laura Betti as his equal in cruelty dissolves into blood-curdling cackles.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of cackles
Verb
  • Instead of the cartoon alien who loves Oreos and beats up other alien bad guys, this run turns John Jones (FKA J'onn J'onnz) into an FBI agent who survives a suicide bombing and merges with an alien entity.
    — Cooper Katz McKim, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The Magic 9 also beats the 17 Pro Max in sharpness and color reproduction.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of beats
Noun
  • There was a riot of noise, the yaps and yelps of a hound pack fighting an animal on the ground.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025
Definition of yaps

Browse Nearby Words

braying
brays
brazen
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Cite this Entry

“Brays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brays. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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