1
as in cry
a crying out in grief
a prolonged wail arose from every corner of the city as the victims of the earthquake were unearthed from the rubble
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2
as in groan
a long low sound indicating pain or grief
rescuers heard a faint wail coming from the pile of rubble, a sure sign that one of the victims was still alive
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3
as in whine
an expression of dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment
a transit fare increase that is sure to bring wails from the straphangers
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1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the state's residents are always wailing about their high taxes
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2
3
as in to groan
to utter a moan
the patient lay in her bed, occasionally softly wailing in pain
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of wail
Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
And then, with a wail and a squeak, the train performed a Z-reverse, backing up the road as cyclists and walkers stood idle, an arm’s reach from the windows.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2024
Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Confirmation of his death prompted scenes of uncontrolled grief and wailing by Hezbollah supporters on the streets, and an exodus of Shiites to safer areas of the capital.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail 
Noun
This is very similar—the growling wail (my favorite of his three personas) comes on periodically and doesn’t cease for hours.
—Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
And then, with a wail and a squeak, the train performed a Z-reverse, backing up the road as cyclists and walkers stood idle, an arm’s reach from the windows.
—Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2024
Verb
Warren described his attempts to minister to the wounded and his distress at the sounds of a Lakota mother wailing for her dead baby.
—Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
Confirmation of his death prompted scenes of uncontrolled grief and wailing by Hezbollah supporters on the streets, and an exodus of Shiites to safer areas of the capital.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail
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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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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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
Verb
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Ducati purists howled their displeasure at the change, but complaints faded away as the race wins - and showroom sales - quickly piled up.William Roberson, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
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The approximately one-mile light show allows visitors to enjoy more than 100 installations depicting ice skating bears, jumping reindeer, a holiday golfer, howling wolves and more, all while sitting in their own vehicles listening to holiday songs on a closed-circuit radio station, organizers said.David Sharos, Chicago Tribune, 27 Nov. 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
Noun
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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
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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, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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But these laments seemed to reach a crescendo during the Biden administration, which was seen as too focused on the United States’ growing rivalry with Beijing and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to devote even minimal bandwidth to its southern neighbors.Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
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Opponents lament diverting taxpayer funding from public schools to private ones and point to examples of misuse of funds, like buying dune buggies.Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
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This mix of bright green, blue, pink, and pink in a chrome finish by celebrity nail artist Britney Tokyo just screams NYE party.Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
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There’s also an experimental score by Daniel Blumberg made of bangs and piano plinks and noises that sound like a dozen balloons screaming.Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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