groan

verb

ˈgrōn 

groaned; groaning; groans

intransitive verb

1

: to utter a deep moan indicative of pain, grief, or annoyance

groaned when she saw the bill

2

: to make a harsh sound (as of creaking) under sudden or prolonged strain

The chair groaned under his weight.

transitive verb

: to utter or express with groaning

groaned their despair

groan noun

Synonyms of groan

• moan
• wail

Examples of groan in a Sentence

The wounded man groaned in pain.

She groaned when she saw the bill.

“Oh, no,” she groaned, “I'm going to have to start all over.”

She groaned that she would have to start all over.

Merchants are groaning over slow holiday sales.

He's always moaning and groaning about his salary.

The chair groaned under his weight.

Recent Examples on the Web

The academic bookshelf groans with the weight of studies of the phenomenon, but the seminal analysis of the topic remains a 1997 paper by economist Severin Borenstein of UC Berkeley and his colleagues. —Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026

Within the office, one Post insider said, some staff would groan that Thiessen’s columns were being written not for readers broadly, but for one reader in particular. —Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 May 2026

Asked about the top of the 10th, Tracy groaned. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 3 May 2026

The man groaned again when the nurse touched his elbow. —Darrell Smith may 1, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gronen, from Old English grānian; akin to Old High German grīnan to growl

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for groan

• blown
• clone
• cone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• grown
• hone
• joan
• known
• loan
• lone

Kids Definition

groan

verb

ˈgrōn 

1

: to utter a deep moan of pain, grief, or irritation

2

: to make a harsh sound under strain

the chair groaned under my weight

groan noun

groaner noun