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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of wail
Olivia Petter, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2024
Digital was the future, analog was doomed to extinction, the plaintive and few wails from people like me that analog sounded better drowned out in the digital thunder.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 11 Dec. 2024
Families wept and wailed as officials read off the names of the victims who died on Sunday, Dec. 29 at Muan International Airport, where the crash occurred, according to CNN and NBC News.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail 
Noun
Cue more sofa wails and pitying looks at family gatherings when relatives ask you about your love life.
—Olivia Petter, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2024
Digital was the future, analog was doomed to extinction, the plaintive and few wails from people like me that analog sounded better drowned out in the digital thunder.
—Spin Team, SPIN, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
Yet there is no indication in the new trailer that the Sirens will wail for long.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 11 Dec. 2024
Families wept and wailed as officials read off the names of the victims who died on Sunday, Dec. 29 at Muan International Airport, where the crash occurred, according to CNN and NBC News.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wail
Noun
-
Americans responded to the cries of hunger in Ethiopia.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
19 Jan. 2025
-
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth’s opening statement was repeatedly interrupted by several protesters who were swiftly removed from the hearing room after disturbing his confirmation proceedings with shouts and cries.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The ragged metallic roaring scream of a Boeing 727 ascending eastward, a high-pitched whine building to a thundering roar, fading to a drone.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
-
When in use, the motor produced a slightly audible whistle/whine.—
John Timmer,
Ars Technica,
4 Apr. 2024
Verb
-
Trump has complained about China’s rising influence over the canal.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
28 Jan. 2025
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Some consumers have also complained that bulk billing arrangements can burden them with a single, subpar internet service that costs more.—
Michael Kan,
PCMAG,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Gerald Giraffe Wendy Wolf Wendy is an energetic wolf who loves to howl.—
Elisa Cinelli,
Parents,
16 Jan. 2025
-
Fearsome winds are howling across Southern California.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
On sports talk shows and social media, commentators, fans and players alike groaned about the voter.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
22 Jan. 2025
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Thirty minutes later, the Sun reported, medics still had not tended to a distraught woman half-buried by the shattered stands, groaning, with both legs apparently broken.—
Mike Klingaman,
Baltimore Sun,
21 Jan. 2025
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
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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
-
The Seed of the Sacred Fig is a half-skeptical lament for the process of tyranny and dissent, as alluded to in the scriptural epigraph about the strangling Ficus religiosa tree that gives the film its title.—
Armond White,
National Review,
22 Jan. 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,
25 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Are we meant to sympathize with this creature as people scream in terror and call it a monster and attack it and scream for it to be shot?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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Ahmad would scream in terror, afraid of something beyond his family’s perception.—
Alia Malek,
New York Times,
17 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wail. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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