GROAN Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

groan 1 of 2

noun

Definition of groan

as in wail

a crying out in grief when the underdogs lost the playoffs, the groans of millions of disappointed fans were heard throughout the land

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in moan

a long low sound indicating pain or grief let out a groan when he tried to stand on the sprained ankle

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

groan

2 of 2

verb

ˈgrōn

as in to moan

to utter a moan heard someone groaning in pain

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 groan

Noun

The moment was met with several groans from the audience in the room. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026 Trade a groan with the person behind you when the bullpen blows a lead. — Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026

Verb

But the groaning synthesizer underneath her bashful smile tells you something is off — a crystalline tone now distended, unnerving. — Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026 Plus, video assistant referee (VAR) technology has been met with applause and groans alike—as has the new referee-cam. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for groan

Recent Examples of Synonyms for groan

Noun

Mourners beat their chests rhythmically in the intense summer heat, the wails of women cutting through the noise as the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was unveiled beneath a glass case at the Grand Mosalla.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
After a second of consideration, Naim slams the grate shut to the monster’s wails, and the audience’s relief.

— Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026

Definition of wail

Noun

In the decades after his death, Johnson’s loose playing and harrowing moans set American music on a path that would encompass Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, even Nas.

— Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Sweet tweets, soft moans, the distant caw of a shore bird piloting toward the sea, spirited and hopeful, daylight already breaking through.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

Definition of moan

Noun

The crying can become the dominant thing, and the acting is the crying as opposed to being able to convey a personality underneath all of that, being able to find the nuance of who this character is outside of the crying.

— Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026
Another video shows a man holding the crying infant, with his arms covered in blood and the lower half of his body still trapped in rubble.

— Duarte Dias, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of crying

Noun

Baby's cry leads Atlanta police to missing sisters Atlanta police said investigators tracked Brown to an apartment complex at 2001 Sylvan Road using cellphone information, license plate reader data and tips from the community.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Politicians across Europe are using the influx of deaths from this year’s historic heat waves as a rallying cry to push for fewer restrictions around new AC installation.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of cry

Noun

Ḥusayn’s death became for the Shiʿah a symbol of selfless resistance against worldly injustice and tyranny and is commemorated with lamentation each year on Ashura.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026
Moments of humor sit alongside lamentation and ritual intensity, underscoring the exhibition’s refusal of a single, fixed reading.

— George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Definition of lamentation

Noun

Their chorus of howls and yowls was all that kept them connected to the hunters who lagged far behind.

— Paul Schullery, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
Somewhere in the heated mist hovered the howls of Albert Ayler and the clarion call of his brother Donald’s trumpet, followed by the Ornette Coleman Quartet, saluting him with joyous cacophony.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026

Definition of howl

Noun

That ambiguity is echoed in Banks’ score, which takes on the tone of a lament and a celebration, frustration and hope, struggle and liberation, the quest for transcendence in the face of the challenges posed by daunting inequities.

— George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
The other main track of Diamanda’s career is her interpretations of old standards, Gospel songs, laments, and folk tunes.

— Matt Thompson, SPIN, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of lament

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grizzling

groan

groaned

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“Groan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groan. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of groan

noun

verb

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