wail 1 of 2

noun

Definition of wailnext
1
as in cry
a crying out in grief a prolonged wail arose from every corner of the city as the victims of the earthquake were unearthed from the rubble

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2
as in groan
a long low sound indicating pain or grief rescuers heard a faint wail coming from the pile of rubble, a sure sign that one of the victims was still alive

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3
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment a transit fare increase that is sure to bring wails from the straphangers

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wail

2 of 2

verb

ˈwāl How to pronounce wail (audio)
1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the state's residents are always wailing about their high taxes

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2
as in to howl
to make a long loud mournful sound the women stood beside the coffins, wailing for their fallen sons and daughters

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3
as in to groan
to utter a moan the patient lay in her bed, occasionally softly wailing in pain

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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 wail
Noun
Geddy Lee, Rush No bassist’s singing voice has ever created a more pronounced contrast with his instrument than Rush’s Geddy Lee, who moved the piercing wail of influences like Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant up another octave. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026 In Kyiv, the recurring wail of air-raid sirens has become part of daily life. — ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
Ambulances were seen leaving the hospital to bring the children's bodies home as mourners wept and wailed. — Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026 Ambulances were seen leaving the hospital to bring the children’s bodies home as mourners wept and wailed. — Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail
  1. cry
  2. groan
  3. whine
  4. complain
  5. howl
  6. moan
  7. tears
  8. crying
Noun
  • Alarmed by the cries, Sita urges Lakshmana to go to Rama’s aid.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • As much an acknowledgment of survival as a rallying cry, the song draws out sadness as well as satisfaction from the audience.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of cry
Noun
  • But what happens when the season shifts, when the cloying good cheer of—groan—the holiday season comes with its candy stripes and jingle bells and partridges in pear trees?
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • That’s when a chorus of disapproving groans emerges from the other end of the phone line.
    — Julie Klausner, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of groan
Noun
  • Our Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog saw them too and enthusiastically let out a small whine.
    — Kody Lostroh, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The mystic whine of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry’s score carries us into a hidden world of ancient Thai deities living inside the mountain’s caves and tunnels.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of whine
Verb
  • Someone else even complained about the self-clean feature ruining their appliance.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2026
  • By July, morale among immigration officers had dipped below its nadir during the Biden Administration, with agents now complaining of being overextended, inundated with novice recruits, and undermined by inflammatory rhetoric from on high.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complain
Verb
  • But that’s what has been proposed here even as the sane heads in the City Council and beyond have been howling for, and shown the way toward, efficiencies.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Temperatures in the area were in the mid-90s and winds howled with gusts of up to 35 mph, a less-than-ideal situation for firefighters.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of howl
Verb
  • It's been a big few months for Austin Abrams moaning and groaning his way through some of the worst situations imaginable.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For a cold moment the silence locked a grip on our table, though it was broken, at the edges, by the golf commentators moaning and harrumphing, Rory McIlroy having had a canary on a seventeenth fairway somewhere this championship Sunday.
    — Kevin Barry, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of moan
Noun
  • Salman burst into tears on hearing the verdict, as did one of her relatives in the front row.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Fort Worth police Officer Buddy Calzada read a letter from Everman Mayor Ray Richardson, who stood in the audience in light blue with tears on his cheeks.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of tears
Noun
  • On the recording of the 911 call from that day, the operator’s steady voice is in sharp contrast to Nakira’s frantic crying.
    — Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
  • After the agents released him, the student walked to school, crying and in pain.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crying

Phrases Containing wail

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Cite this Entry

“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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