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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wail
Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Simpson's gruff, outlaw country timbre ranged from wails to whispers, adapting to echo the style of the band and the current tune.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 26 Oct. 2024
Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
Then the sirens wailed again just after midnight — and a boom was heard over the city.
—Cassandra Vinograd, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wail 
Noun
This fly-on-the-wall music documentary covers it all, from Cyndi Lauper's wail to Bruce Springsteen's growl to the fact that poor Huey Lewis had to follow Michael Jackson.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 11 Jan. 2025
Simpson's gruff, outlaw country timbre ranged from wails to whispers, adapting to echo the style of the band and the current tune.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
In the video, Stewart can be seen handing the woman a citation and telling her about an upcoming court date as an approaching ambulance's siren wails.
—Josh Wood, The Courier-Journal, 20 Dec. 2024
Then the sirens wailed again just after midnight — and a boom was heard over the city.
—Cassandra Vinograd, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for wail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail
Noun
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The fundamental elements of African American music were the sounds of enslaved Africans; cries, hollers, call and response, additive rhythms, bent notes, hand-clapping, stomps and constant repetition of rhythmic and melodic phrasing (from which riffs and vamps were derived).—
Ronald E. Scott,
New York Daily News,
1 Feb. 2025
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His pain pours out, like a long cry from Syria’s dungeons, a cry that was silenced during more than half a century of rule by brutal despots, Bashar al-Assad, and his father, Hafez, before him.—
Scott Peterson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Fritz revved the engine, a desperate, needling whine, and the vessel lurched down the airstrip, the chute billowing awake behind him.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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Families fall asleep to the thump of nearby airstrikes and the constant whine of an Israeli drone overhead.—
Raf Sanchez,
NBC News,
25 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Palestinians complain of ill-treatment In exchange for the hostages' release, Israel is freeing 183 Palestinian prisoners, some convicted of involvement in attacks that killed dozens of people, as well as 111 detained in Gaza during the war.—
Hussam al-Masri,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
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Many conspiracy theorists have complained about Black history being relegated to the calendar’s shortest month.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Every so often, one of the firefighters howled like a wolf and the crew howled back.—
M. R. O’Connor,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
-
The rain started falling, the winds started howling, and the phones started ringing.—
The Sacramento Bee,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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When prospective recruits were asked to drop and do five pushups, many groaned and struggled, unable to complete the task.—
Dexter Filkins,
The New Yorker,
3 Feb. 2025
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The film played like a real-deal thriller, the people around me screaming and groaning and laughing and shielding their eyes.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 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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It can be read as either a defiant declaration or a bitter lament.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2025
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This was followed by a reading of Psalm 42, a lament about an isolated believer who is longing for God’s presence.—
NBC News,
NBC News,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In San Diego this incited Beatlemania-volume screaming.—
Abby Aguirre,
Vogue,
11 Feb. 2025
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There was the monotony, euphoria, and bemusement of performing the same show to 60,000 screaming fans night after night.—
Federico Fahsbender,
Rolling Stone,
11 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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