wailed

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 As the siren wailed before kickoff on the rainy night the stadium scoreboards flashed HURRICANE WARNING. Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025 Probably no one has wailed this role with quite the gusto that Lambert wails it, though many have tried. Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wailed
Verb
  • Prosecutors describe the laws as an invaluable tool against would-be attackers, but civil liberties groups have long complained of overreach.
    Hannah Allam, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement The panel has already obtained roughly 33,000 pages of records from the Justice Department, though Democrats have complained those disclosures contained little new information.
    Nik Popli, Time, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.
    Shaun McKinnon, AZCentral.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • From the other room, the victim moaned.
    Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Yankees fans have moaned and groaned about Aaron Boone’s deployment of Williams in crucial situations this season, and it’s only exacerbated now that every game counts in the postseason race.
    Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Steve Jobs screamed from time to time as self-therapy.
    Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The symbolism is a little over-the-top if this is the case, but then again, this is a show for teens based on a YA novel, also for teens, and sometimes the symbolism needs to be screamed in ALL CAPS.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Fans groaned as a deep fly ball pulled just foul into the outfield seats.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Announcers commented on it, Eagles fans groaned.
    Don Yaeger, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The 53-year-old actor sobbed uncontrollably as the audience on the Lido erupted into 15-minute standing ovation, one of the longest at this year’s festival so far.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 Sep. 2025
  • The teen, whose mother also sobbed in court as her son was sentenced on Tuesday, had pleaded guilty to charges including culpable driving causing death, theft, and failing to render assistance in July, the Sydney Morning Herald noted.
    Becca Longmire, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.
    Leila Latif, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2025
  • Some faculty and staff reacted with horror, others voiced increasing fear about the ongoing assault on academic freedom, and some merely muttered in sad resignation to the new reality.
    Giuliana Perrone, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • When Harry confessed that the newlyweds’ romance was inspiring to him in his own dating life, Kate reportedly cried.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 7 Sep. 2025
  • After Vekić broke her serve at 4–4, Gauff sat in her chair during the changeover and cried.
    Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailed. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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