keens 1 of 2

noun

plural of keen
as in wails
a crying out in grief the loud keens of the widows were heard throughout the war-ravaged city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

keens

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of keen
1
as in complains
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in howls
to make a long loud mournful sound mourners keening for the victims of the bombing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keens
  1. wails
  2. complains
  3. howls
  4. tears
  5. screams
  6. groans
  7. moans
  8. cries
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 wails
Verb
  • Adrian complains that McElwee, instead of making documentaries, should have followed the lucrative path of a Hollywood director, and even reproaches him for having turned down an offer to make a TV commercial.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
  • If he had been forced to stick with readily available materials, Rashid complains, the deck behind the house would have been green or brown.
    — Dean Kaufman, Curbed, 30 June 2026
Definition of complains
Verb
  • This is the sort of pure 1980s batshit monologue that prompts both oh-my-Lord gasps and howls of laughter, and Neill nails the whole thing.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026
  • Up in the stands, fans waved their own flags — including some sneaked in over the objections of FIFA and the courts — and wrestled with emotions, as boos, howls and hisses rained down from all corners of the stadium.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 16 June 2026
Definition of howls
Noun
  • The primary players expected to miss the start of preseason camp next week are recovering from ACL tears, not soft-tissue injuries.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 31 July 2026
  • The term was coined in 1981 based on the cases of four elderly women in Wisconsin who, like the man, had severe destruction of their shoulder joints and massive tears to their rotator cuffs.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
Definition of tears
Verb
  • Contrary to his radio silence at today’s hearings, one thing that screams with clarity is Fauci’s diary.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • This halter-neck set just screams chic, and its flowy, breathable fabric is ideal for humid summer days.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 25 July 2026
Definition of screams
Noun
  • 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
Definition of groans
Verb
  • Musselwhite punctuated the music with his harmonica trills and moans while his right knee bounced in time with the rhythms.
    — Kevin McKeough, Chicago Tribune, 7 June 2026
  • As the video continues, one person can be heard yelling her name while the makeup artist moans in pain.
    — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
Definition of moans
Noun
  • Some 30 seconds into flight, lightning struck the rocket, leading to awestruck cries from crowds gathered nearby to watch the launch.
    — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 24 July 2026
  • Down the hall, just a few seconds later, a different woman gave birth to a little girl named Yasmina, whose cries could hardly be heard over the sound of the explosions around her.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
Definition of cries
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.

Browse Nearby Words

keenness
keens
keep
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Cite this Entry

“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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