groans 1 of 2

noun

plural of groan
1
as in wails
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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2
as in moans
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

groans

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of groan
as in cries
to utter a moan heard someone groaning in pain

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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 groans
Noun
That brought groans from a commission where the complaints about the marketing plan outnumbered the defenses. — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026 The good-natured hope from the fanbase dissolved into problematic groans as KC finished 69-93. — Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026 The company’s presentation was punctuated by boos and groans from hundreds of Chinatown, Bridgeport and Armour Square residents. — Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 There were times in the second half when boos and plenty of groans were heard inside Old Trafford. — Chris McKenna, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 After two hours of practice, with the 10-foot-tall fences doing little to muffle the bullhorn orders and corresponding groans, the huddle broke and the personalities sprung to life. — Noah White, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026 An underwhelming and nearly green-less teaser first dropped back in March to the enormous groans of Green Lantern faithful everywhere. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Not long afterward, witnesses heard groans and heavy breathing as the spiritual adviser put her hands on his shoulders and prayed over him. — CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 This reality might produce some groans among the kiddos in your lives, but parents can revel in the fact that BTS sales abound. — Melissa Knific, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
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 As Otto groans, Rhaenrya pulls back and cleaves off Otto's head. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 June 2026 Expect a lot of kicks, punches, chases and grunts and groans. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 23 May 2026 Six audibly groans, like the cyhyraeth echoing on the moors. — Literary Hub, 21 May 2026 Vogt’s Juliette groans like a workhorse that knows it’s destined for the glue factory. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 The senior Trojan groans quietly, and brings the car to a halt. — Natalie Escobar, NPR, 12 May 2026 McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026 For nearly two minutes in Monday’s 132-107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Chicago Bulls played basketball to a soundtrack of gasps and groans. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groans
  1. wails
  2. moans
  3. tears
  4. cries
  5. lamentations
  6. howls
  7. laments
Noun
  • No wet plop of a SpongeBob ice cream bar crashing onto hot asphalt; a child’s apocalyptic wails ensuing.
    — Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Memory tends to lose sound quickly, but even years later, Jake’s mother’s wails play with the same staccatos and double chords.
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of wails
Noun
  • Lori can hardly speak, relying on a young nurse who sits at her side to translate her low, pained moans.
    — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Wails and moans of grief interspersed the chanting, until the small coffin was lowered into the grave.
    — Victoria Davies, Rolling Stone, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of moans
Noun
  • One of us would be chosen to recite the poem onstage—a kitsch performance, no doubt, so that an auditorium of adults would be moved to tears.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The first days of testimony brought tears from witnesses, spectators and jurors, the 9th Street Journal reported.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of tears
Noun
  • Over cries of foul from those who came in person, the board’s attorney Shayla Myers announced the meeting was canceled because the Zoom channel had a capacity of only 1,000.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lacking life detection equipment, the workers strained to hear their cries.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of cries
Noun
  • These rock lamentations will not be carried over to the full-length album the band still has in the works, which Bono promises will have a more joyful tone.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The album’s Bandcamp blurb shouts out Ghédalia Tarzatès, the late French composer who collaged his wails and lamentations in the endangered Ladino language to evoke pangs of existential angst.
    — H.D. Angel, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of lamentations
Noun
  • The howls of outrage from an undisclosed location in Europe reached our shores.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of howls
Noun
  • 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
  • Her laments are now laced with fury, as genocidal wars and murderous technologies join global warming in the twenty-first century’s third decade.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of laments

Browse Nearby Words

groaning
groans
grog
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Cite this Entry

“Groans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groans. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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