1
as in groan
a long low sound indicating pain or grief
she uttered an agonized moan and clutched her stomach
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wail
a crying out in grief
moans arose from the crowd as the funeral procession for the well-loved senator made its way down the street
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3
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
the crowd responded with a moan when it was announced that the rest of the show would be cancelled due to the weather
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1
as in to groan
to utter a moan
he moaned and cried for days after his dog, his only companion, died
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2
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
their son moaned whenever anyone asked him to do some work
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of moan
Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Despite hearing her moan, Spees called in a level three resistance report but then continued escorting her toward his patrol vehicle.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 18 Dec. 2025
Max Hastings, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
But a male voice could be heard moaning in the background.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for moan
Noun
Two microphones angle towards the duduk to capture resonant moans, creaks, squeaks and honks akin to the bridge’s.
—Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Despite hearing her moan, Spees called in a level three resistance report but then continued escorting her toward his patrol vehicle.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
On the British side of the Pond, however, no government has dared to do worse things to the BBC than moan about it.
—Max Hastings, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
But a male voice could be heard moaning in the background.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for moan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moan
Noun
-
Just look at the second-period power play where Boldy kept trying to skate through Colorado’s neutral-zone forecheck again and again and again — three times turning pucks over at the blue line, causing the Wild to retreat and their fans to audibly groan.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
-
The seeing-eye dog let out a groan.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Her wails of pain were audible on TV broadcasts as medics tended to her before a helicopter finally carried her away.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
6 May 2026
-
Within moments, a smoke detector wails.—
Cyrus Farivar,
ArsTechnica,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Both motors stay at or below 45 dBA even at full power, something that will genuinely surprise anyone used to the whine of current-generation motors.—
Omar Kardoudi
April 10,
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The whine from that straight-cut gearbox alone is painfully loud, say nothing of the wide-open exhaust on the 4.0 L flat-six.—
Tim Stevens,
ArsTechnica,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The sale of Internet Pro began in February through the Mobile Communications Company of Iran (MCI), after businesses complained that they had been hurt by heavily restricted access during nationwide protests in January.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
10 May 2026
-
Finch complained about a foul not being called as the Spurs trapped Edwards near half court.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
The latest in the growing Bachelor Nation–to–Bravo pipeline, this former crying virgin hasn’t done much crying and certainly is done virgining.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
The audio included crying, screaming and banging, prompting jurors to sob and appear visibly shaken.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That name has since become synonymous with the defense of one’s territory, and a rallying cry.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
-
The trail eventually tilts back down toward the city, where car honks and train horns replace the cries of birds and insects.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
This policy was created in response to business complaints and safety concerns regarding disruptive behavior.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
-
The children were allegedly being abducted to be taken to their native Yemen, the outlets reported, citing prosecutors and felony complaints.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
One morning in 2013, before the sun had risen, Hiba and Ibrahim heard gunshots and screams.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Also, there was an element of danger, and doing a scene that is really arduous, achieving an emotional peak for an amount of time and performing physical acts and screaming [about] a matter of life and death.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moan. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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