groans 1 of 2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2

groans

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of groan

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
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 The moment was met with several groans from the audience in the room. Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 25 July 2026 The groans that greeted Haaland’s withdrawal midway through extra time were telling. Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 12 July 2026 Young climbed into a box, which Strange then stabbed repeatedly, prompting groans from the audience. Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 2026 Still, the night had enough laughs, groans and tender moments to keep things interesting. Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026 Now, at the same time that his stepmother is drawing groans, however, Hunter is winning unexpected praise. David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 8 June 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
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
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
Noun
  • At a memorial service at Oslo Cathedral, the king did not hide his tears.
    Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Her thoughts would turn to her daughter, and the tears would just flow.
    John Biemer, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • These developments prompted more cries of outrage, including one from the Democratic senator Mark Warner, who has introduced a bill that would ban social-media companies from selling fast access to accounts of government employees.
    John Cassidy, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • That kind of front-loading also gives parents a buffer if a child freezes up, cries or needs an extra hug before heading out.
    Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
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
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
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

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Cite this Entry

“Groans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groans. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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