wail (for)

verb

Definition of wail (for)next
as in to mourn
to feel or express sorrow for her grandfather asked her not to wail for him, saying that he had had a good life and was at peace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail (for)
  1. mourn
  2. lament
  3. regret
Verb
  • As the community mourns a Lakewood police agent killed in the line of duty, CBS Colorado is learning more about the suspect accused of killing him and his lengthy criminal history.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Eight years after the death of Anthony Bourdain, people around the world still mourn the beloved chef, author and TV star.
    — Charles Maynes, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of mourn
Verb
  • Houdini offers tribute to some magicians who preceded him and laments that more wasn't known about them.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Others lament the end of the two-decade old prohibition in the state’s constitution.
    — Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
Definition of lament
Verb
  • But some have come to regret that support, and in part this election’s results bear that out.
    — Isvett Verde, Time, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The Polisario Front and Algeria, meanwhile, regretted the decision not to renew its mandate.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of regret
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

wailers
wail (for)
wailfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wail (for).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail%20%28for%29. Accessed 13 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 impertinent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
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

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
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
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All