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 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
  • On the final stop on the tour, the Markley people wanted to show the emergency generators that neighbors have complained about.
    David Wade, CBS News, 18 June 2026
  • The cancer was discovered in her liver, kidney and lung following a series of tests after Anna complained about experiencing stomach aches.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • Jingoists howled with rage that a foreigner—no, worse, a German—had got the England job.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 June 2026
  • Audiences and technophiles have been wowed, but film purists have howled over the trimming of more than 25 minutes of runtime, including some musical numbers.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 16 June 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
  • Elena called for Harold, who ran out in his boxers — both men screamed at each other and threatened to call the cops.
    Olivia Bensimon, Curbed, 17 June 2026
  • As the clock ran out, years of pain were screamed out in Frost Bank Center as the Spurs’ home court sounded like it was parked in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • The audience groaned, while Vergara and Mel B screamed for Strange to stop jabbing at his partner through the box.
    Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 17 June 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
  • As Pino sobbed, family members of Lucy Fernandez squeezed into the wood courtroom pews behind Adams while Pino’s supporters sat behind him.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 19 June 2026
  • 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
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 24 Jun. 2026.

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