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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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
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
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Recent Examples of wail
Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Were his character more precisely defined, Battle’s wail of feeling might carry you past the awkwardness of the songwriting, the nagging questions about what’s meant to be translucent or not, but here both character and emotion are indistinct.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Ivan Kashinsky, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
Rather than atop fire station roofs, sirens would be placed along areas prone to flash flooding that have both tone and voice capacity, Brissie said, allowing officials to broadcast a wailing alarm or spoken instructions.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
Noun
Low, ominous bass riffs giving way to a distorted wail of electric guitar signaled that this was the juncture in American history when the gloves came off and the real ass-kicking began.
—Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Were his character more precisely defined, Battle’s wail of feeling might carry you past the awkwardness of the songwriting, the nagging questions about what’s meant to be translucent or not, but here both character and emotion are indistinct.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Paredones laid down thumping cumbia bass lines as Adolfo Mercado, often compared to Animal of The Muppets, wailed on the drums.
—Ivan Kashinsky, NPR, 8 Oct. 2025
Rather than atop fire station roofs, sirens would be placed along areas prone to flash flooding that have both tone and voice capacity, Brissie said, allowing officials to broadcast a wailing alarm or spoken instructions.
—Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail
Noun
-
And so [the book is] a rallying cry.—
Khushbu Shah,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Oct. 2025
-
So, on the night after the murder, the town’s streets were filled with anguished cries from the Inuit—wails of loss and pain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The beauty of rock ‘n’ roll is repetition, the beauty of repetition and the groan and the groove and the communication of the words.—
Gary Graff,
Billboard,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Mbeumo misplaces a pass as United attack and his family groan before dissecting the move.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In that appearance, Thilly moonwalked across the floor and performed a backspin before using his allotted five minutes to complain about rising taxes, according to CBS News New York.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Another woman, 59, complained of back pain, per the outlets.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Women in the front row of his shows now howled for D’Angelo to disrobe.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Somewhere below us, the futureless girl began to howl.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 Oct. 2025
-
There’s something moaning in the background.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite all the potential for drama, the night was filled with dinner, hugs, a lot of memories, and minimal tears.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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The official trailer is nearly three minutes long and is stuffed with bombastic special effects, intense emotion (a lot of tears), plenty of action and one mean Vecna.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Many of us thought that the image of crying, blood-spattered 6 and 7 year olds, marching-in-train across a school parking lot would finally convince America’s gun owners to concede to meaningful gun reform.—
K. Ward Cummings,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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While there may be no crying in baseball, there certainly is crying in hockey.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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