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

• 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 more desperate the Count is to feast on Ellen, the more intense her nightmares become; resulting in the kind of eye-rolling, softly groaning fits often associated with the eroticized vampire genre. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 11 Dec. 2024

In many households, the sign of a good meal is people slumped on the couch with their pants unbuttoned, groaning from eating entirely too much, but still occasionally snacking on whatever food is closest to them. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024

The animation is solid and the little ones will indeed relish the loud antics and the pratfalls while older ones in the crowd might well groan about the overuse of puns. —Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 30 Oct. 2024

My muscles groaned against the weight of the skin around them, aching to be set loose. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024

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

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