1
as in wail
a crying out in grief
when the underdogs lost the playoffs, the groans of millions of disappointed fans were heard throughout the land
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in moan
a long low sound indicating pain or grief
let out a groan when he tried to stand on the sprained ankle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to moan
to utter a moan
heard someone groaning in pain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of groan
Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2025
The scene shows Hart in a box at the St. James Theatre, rolling his eyes and groaning to his mother before slipping out to get a drink during the title song of Oklahoma!
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2025
The car then begins to drive as the man, still lying down, continues to yell and groan in the back seat.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025
Indianapolis Colts: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia GM Chris Ballard likely groaned as another top tight end was picked just before the Colts were on the clock for the second straight year.
—Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groan
Verb
There’s also a sense of how the family’s relative privilege comes into play, not just in Johanne’s upbringing (with access to a country cabin), but also through Karin’s point-of-view as a battle-weary feminist activist, who groaned over Kristin’s love of Flashdance as a kid.
—Nicolas Rapold, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2025
The scene shows Hart in a box at the St. James Theatre, rolling his eyes and groaning to his mother before slipping out to get a drink during the title song of Oklahoma!
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2025
The car then begins to drive as the man, still lying down, continues to yell and groan in the back seat.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2025
Indianapolis Colts: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia GM Chris Ballard likely groaned as another top tight end was picked just before the Colts were on the clock for the second straight year.
—Zac Jackson, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groan
Noun
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The wail of sirens echoed through Marysville on Thursday morning as hundreds lined D Street to honor a fallen officer — the first Marysville police officer killed in the line of duty in more than a century — whose body was ushered to a Placer County funeral home.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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Those harsh, swelling wails of warning become the film’s punctuating sonic motif — in stark contrast to the buoyant, babbling vocal interjections of Alexey Shmurak’s unexpected a cappella score, a literal chorus of humanity amid the chaos.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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None of these moans are intended to dismiss the importance of clever in-jokes and references to past adventures.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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Tonally registering as if carved from a medium-hard piece of oak, his transparent deliveries — mellow whispers, conversational assertions, longing moans, resolute cries — served as effective vessels for those character sketches and autobiographical reflections.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Raising the ceiling is often preceded by lots of drama—social security benefits and payments for Medicare and Medicaid will be in danger, are routine cries—as a deadline approaches.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
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As Evans and the others sat back down, a cry came out from the back of the peanut gallery.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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One third of the way into Katie Kitamura’s 2017 novel, A Separation, its narrator asks an elderly Greek woman to demonstrate a traditional funeral lamentation.—
Lidija Haas,
Harper's Magazine,
3 Mar. 2025
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History is littered with lamentations about distraction.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Prominent among these are baseless critiques of the NAEP itself (lauded as the gold standard of achievement measures) and a lament that the science of reading — recently endorsed by more than 40 states — has failed.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Apr. 2025
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In classical terms, this begins as an Adagio in D minor — a slow lament led by a solo cello, that accelerates into a chaotic swell of strings.—
Kristen S. Hé,
Vulture,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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For those who cherish winter coats and cold-weather essentials, the start of spring and summer is a time of mourning.—
Cortne Bonilla,
Vogue,
4 Apr. 2025
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That led to a period of mourning at PSA, a relatively small airline where the death of two pilots and two flight attendants, all Charlotte-based, had a deep impact on their co-workers.—
Ted Reed,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Groan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groan. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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