wailed

verb

past tense of wail
1
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the state's residents are always wailing about their high taxes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
as in moaned
to utter a moan the patient lay in her bed, occasionally softly wailing in pain

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The rocker took a step back from his usual double duty as lead singer and guitarist, opting to shred voraciously as Robinson wailed on the mic. — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026 Fans wailed outside St James’ and Keegan stood on the steps to placate them, but then Les Ferdinand arrived and another Hollywood-upon-Tyne took shape. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 21 July 2026 Others complained their ears still rang from how hard their children wailed for AC, a plea the women denied them in the interest of saving on utility bills. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Kimiya wailed as the bio-andy moved toward the gaping hole. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2026 Meanwhile, DeGuzman wailed in the background. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 23 June 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wailed
  1. complained
  2. howled
  3. moaned
  4. screamed
  5. groaned
  6. whined
  7. sobbed
  8. muttered
Verb
  • The European Football Clubs organization, which represents more than 850 clubs, complained they were also not consulted on the FFE plan.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
  • Players have long complained about less-lively balls that force them to swing harder to hit them through the court.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • These two characters have maybe two minutes of screentime between them, and yet a certain portion of the internet, and Elon Musk, have raged, gnashed teeth and howled to the wind about the way this denigrates a Greek classic.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • All Balogun playing did was make the Americans seem like bullies who just lost the fight as everyone else howled laughter.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
Definition of howled
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
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • All around them, guests smiled and laughed as children screamed with excitement and giggled each time a butterfly fluttered close.
    — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Immediately, the packed audience screamed with excitement at the sight of the singer.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • As Brazil scored its first goal, fans in line groaned and cheered from beyond the barrier.
    — Delia Sauer, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
  • Those fans erupted when Harry Kane scored on a penalty kick in the 12th minute, and groaned bitterly when Baturina scored the equalizer some 20 minutes later.
    — Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026
Definition of groaned
Verb
  • Post-Covid, Hollywood has whined about the falloff for MPA fare in Pan Asian territories, particularly the once-robust South Korea.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 July 2026
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of whined
Verb
  • Kelly, typically a non-demonstrative engineer, retreated to the airplane bathroom and sobbed.
    — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
  • Gartshore, who pleaded not guilty, sobbed after the verdict was read, BBC News reported.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026
Definition of sobbed
Verb
  • This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of muttered

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wail
wailed
wailed (for)
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Cite this Entry

“Wailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailed. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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