1
as in groan
a long low sound indicating pain or grief
she uttered an agonized moan and clutched her stomach
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2
as in wail
a crying out in grief
moans arose from the crowd as the funeral procession for the well-loved senator made its way down the street
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3
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
the crowd responded with a moan when it was announced that the rest of the show would be cancelled due to the weather
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1
as in to groan
to utter a moan
he moaned and cried for days after his dog, his only companion, died
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2
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
their son moaned whenever anyone asked him to do some work
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of moan
Michael Cox, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
As diners dip into the salty pat of butter before them, the room goes silent save for an occasional moan.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 21 Oct. 2024
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
On Wednesday, Sharpe’s 3.2 million followers may have been perplexed or shocked to hear the sound of a moaning woman in an Instagram Live session that appeared on the former tight end’s page.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for moan 
Noun
That overrides the crowd reaction to many on-pitch incidents — there are fewer audible moans when a foul is committed, fewer jeers when there’s an opposition shot way off target, and sometimes less of a silence when a goal is conceded.
—Michael Cox, The Athletic, 28 Aug. 2024
As diners dip into the salty pat of butter before them, the room goes silent save for an occasional moan.
—The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
Alabama songwriter Early James embraces jagged, moaning blues on his upcoming third album Medium Raw.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2024
On Wednesday, Sharpe’s 3.2 million followers may have been perplexed or shocked to hear the sound of a moaning woman in an Instagram Live session that appeared on the former tight end’s page.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for moan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moan
Noun
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Children's wails filled the air, until, one by one, their deafening silence grew much louder.Alex Ross, People.com, 26 Nov. 2024
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In the middle of her speech, a siren-like wail cut through the air, startling the audience.Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The ground crew starts the engines externally, filling the air with an urgent whine.J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2024
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Reports of this plan were toasted by professional cynics with a similar whine.Bob Raissman, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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Girding for battle at USC Pay is at the center of union organizing at USC, where non-tenure track professors complain of semester-to-semester contracts with little job security, minimal or nonexistent raises and moves by the university to cut benefits.Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
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If corporate leaders complain about these directives’ effects on their bottom lines, Trump’s team could force CISA to scale back its use of this authority.Eric Geller, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That rumor began swirling in March of this year and is still a rallying cry amongst rightwing gaming influencers on X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and the darker, even more hateful, corners of the internet.Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 2024
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Game drives and cocktail cruises are followed by evenings spent drenched in orange, red, and pink hues as the sun sinks into the inky river and the cry of the fish eagles pierces the air.Deborah Calmeyer, Travel + Leisure, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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So far this fall, Milwaukee DNS has seen a 35% increase in complaints from last year about landlords providing no heat or insufficient heat, WITI-TV (Channel 6) and WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) reported.Maia Pandey, Journal Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024
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There have been 162 complaints of insufficient insulation, including 92 incidents resulting in minor burns.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Thousands of fans from all over the world tuned in to these unofficial livestreams every night of the tour, commenting, screaming, and searching for Swift Easter eggs together — and thus creating a sense of community and joy rivaled only by the vibes of an actual concert.Lauren Huff, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024
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This clearly crushes Lee, who screams furiously at Eugene, though his words are rendered inaudible amid the trip—Lee cannot make his voice heard.Barry Levitt, TIME, 6 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The present moment demands resolve and affirmative thinking from the foreign policy community about how to sustain and reinforce the international order, not just lamentations about Trump’s destructiveness or resignation about the order’s fate.Jake Sullivan, Foreign Affairs, 5 Mar. 2018
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No such resourcefulness is evident in Tesori’s score, which wavers between mid-century film-music heroics and sentimental lamentations, with tame avant-garde gestures popping up here and there.Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near moan
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moan. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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