1
: lamentation, complaint
… made a great moan if he had to work …—
D. H. Lawrence
D. H. Lawrence2
: a low prolonged sound of pain or of grief
a moan of distress
moaned; moaning; moans
2
a
: to make a moan : groan
b
: to emit a sound resembling a moan
the wind moaned in the trees
Synonyms
Examples of moan in a Sentence
Noun
She let out a long, deep moan.
the moan of the wind
the moan of the car's engine
Verb
The wounded soldier moaned in pain.
He moaned with pleasure as she rubbed his back.
We were all moaning about the cold, rainy weather.
He's always moaning about his salary.
The children were moaning and groaning all morning, but their mother would not let them go outside.
I'm tired of all his moaning and groaning about his salary.
“But I don't want to go,” moaned the boy.
The wind moaned in the trees.
Recent Examples on the Web
Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Against Notre Dame, the collective moan in the Coliseum with yet another last-minute loss because of Riley’s poor play calling was the breaking point for this lifelong Trojan.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Everything seems fine and dandy until nightfall, when Nana spends her evenings crawling around on her hands and knees and moaning.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for moan 
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.
Noun
The ultimate effect is paradoxical: the more that Valéry eliminates the ghost of pain and passion from the logical machinery of his work, the starker and more affecting the moans and cries of the ghost become.
—Benjamin Kunkel, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Against Notre Dame, the collective moan in the Coliseum with yet another last-minute loss because of Riley’s poor play calling was the breaking point for this lifelong Trojan.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Verb
There also isn't a dry forehead in the studio, as the tough session has left them all moaning and groaning.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Everything seems fine and dandy until nightfall, when Nana spends her evenings crawling around on her hands and knees and moaning.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 2 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for moan
Dictionary Entries Near moan
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moan. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
moan
1 of 2 noun1
: a long low sound indicating pain or grief
2
: a sound like a moan
moan
2 of 2 verbLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share