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

Relevance

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
  • Had likely started calling hospitals, shouting his name and description over the baby’s guttering wails, into the ears of phone operators and receptionists all over town.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • When the sun goes down, the wind picks up in central New Mexico, whipping through arid canyons with a ghostly howl that for centuries, locals have likened to the wails of the folkloric ghost La Llorona.
    — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of wails
Verb
  • Thomas complains about being stuck in the Keanu Reeves movie Speed, which sends Paladin off on a surprisingly indignant, knowledgeable pop-culture rant.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Her boyfriend Tom Arnold becomes a writer/producer and complains that someone there stole his love letters and sold out his steamy relationship with Roseanne to the National Enquirer.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of complains
Verb
  • The sharp howls after a patient traveling from abroad presented with a full-term fetal demise?
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
  • At night, the coyote howls echo through the development keeping residents awake.
    — N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of howls
Noun
  • At his Austin watch party, supporters celebrated the results with cheers, dancing and tears.
    — Amelia Mugavero, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Supporters cried tears of joy and hugged one another, sharing political news of the city and also the country, as the energy in the crowd further amped up seemingly every half-hour.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of tears
Verb
  • Kirkland Signature Pecan Halves Nothing screams Thanksgiving like pecans.
    — Jenn de la Vega, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Video of the service captures screams erupting inside the church as worshippers ran to his side and called for help.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of screams
Noun
  • That’s when a chorus of disapproving groans emerges from the other end of the phone line.
    — Julie Klausner, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
  • This fell to Ward-Prowse, leading to groans from the home crowd.
    — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of groans
Verb
  • Sam makes a production out of teasing them, mock-reaching for various items on the set as the whole group moans and wails in distress.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Endo is the sixth choice midfielder and someone who never moans about his place in the pecking order.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of moans
Noun
  • Alarmed by the cries, Sita urges Lakshmana to go to Rama’s aid.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Her friend’s cries mixed with the sound of police car sirens before officers arrived and escorted students and staff out the building.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cockamamie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All