wailed

Definition of wailednext
past tense of wail
1
2
as in howled
to make a long loud mournful sound the women stood beside the coffins, wailing for their fallen sons and daughters

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

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 wailed Founders of Avatech’s mentee companies, seated in front of their laptops, clapped and banged their hands on tables to the distinctive stomp-stomp-clap beat of the song as an electric guitar wailed. Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026 On Choute’s lap rode her Siamese cat, Vergère, who wailed throughout the journey. Literary Hub, 6 May 2026 Car alarms wailed in a parking lot. Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026 Belton experiences As sirens wailed the night of the tornado, Bill Anderson hunkered down in his basement a mile and a half away from the cemetery, Anderson told The Star by text. Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2026 Others wailed and screamed, raising their arms in the air. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026 According to the post, the officer approached the gate, asked what was going on, and stood watching as the husky wailed. Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 On Thursday, sirens wailed and loud explosions were heard shortly after midnight in Jerusalem and other parts of Israel. ABC News, 11 Mar. 2026 Israeli authorities focused on Iran, and citizens dashed repeatedly for shelter as sirens wailed. Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wailed
Verb
  • Some people complained about paying higher premiums without receiving any of the benefits of insurance coverage.
    Pat Maio, Oc Register, 3 June 2026
  • Agostina’s family has complained that security forces were consumed by concerns of fan violence during a major soccer game in the city of Cordoba that day.
    Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • But even as the wind howled, all Crawford could do was wait for the storm to pass.
    Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 30 May 2026
  • In fact, while winds still howled and the fire still burned, officials faced the cameras and blamed the wind and the drought.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Angered by the demonstration, Keenan first screamed at the protesters and then spit in the face of one.
    Jason Green, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
  • There were so many cool sculptures and pieces of architecture that screamed to be turned into a puzzle.
    Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • Near the end of the debate, co-moderator and San Francisco Examiner editor-in-chief Schuyler Hudak Prionas groaned as candidates talked over each other while trying to answer a question that was supposed to elicit a yes or no response.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
  • When the shots went bad, fans groaned and tried to coax him on.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • Traffic hummed and whined on I-85.
    Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 13 May 2026
  • Second, in a report of their own, the pro-business commissioners whined that all of this was unfair.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • After the verdict was read, Cyrus' family sobbed and cried in the courtroom gallery, according to the Associated Press.
    Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 2 June 2026
  • Brewer sobbed as McEvoy recounted his side of the story.
    Louisa Moller, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Verb
  • In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
    Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
  • As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailed. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.

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