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
Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026
Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 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
The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026
Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for moan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moan
Noun
-
That comment elicited an involuntary groan from the boy’s father, Dalvin Driver, who was in court.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
When Latino residents asked questions and voiced concerns, they were interrupted by jeers and groans from white members of the audience.—
Rafael Carranza,
ProPublica,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
And from the stage, the unmistakable wail of a harmonica cut through the warm April air.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
There was grit and grime to his feedback-heavy guitar wails, but there was sweep and grandeur too, more apparent on stage than on record.—
Piet Levy,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Village sounds of chickens and goats were pierced by the distant whine of commercial jets climbing out of Agadir’s international airport.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
No suspicious whine in the air, no burning of pungent oils to put off biters.—
Antonia Quirke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
An employee reached out to Summers and Taylor to complain.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Coaches Dawn Staley of South Carolina and Geno Auriemma of UConn had a heated courtside exchange afterward as Auriemma, in character, complained about the officiating and proved an ungracious loser, but at least apologized a day later.—
Greg Cote
April 5,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Her daughter raced home crying and her parents promptly reported the incident to Sacramento police that night.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Mamoudou, what is the secret to good fake crying?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sean said the dogs knocked his mother to the ground and continued attacking her as a passerby, who heard her cries from about a block away, rushed over on a bicycle to help.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Amazingly, there didn’t seem to be a single boo or any cries of dissent.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 13 years, not a single ethics complaint by any staff in his office or any other office has ever been lodged.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Demuth now has seven days to refer both the complaints to the House Ethics Committee for consideration and hearings will be scheduled to discuss each filing.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kaley denied being abused or neglected, though Meta’s attorneys did show some Instagram posts about her mother screaming at her.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In a sea of gray-toned suits and uniforms, the woman trying to soothe her crying baby comes across as an outlier even before a belligerent young salaryman starts screaming at her for disturbing the peace.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moan. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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