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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of groan
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Treat it as a sounding board for album names, tour titles and hook ideas… the stuff that would make your spouse or best friend groan.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Yankees fans have moaned and groaned about Aaron Boone’s deployment of Williams in crucial situations this season, and it’s only exacerbated now that every game counts in the postseason race.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groan
Noun
The tightly wound tension is maintained also by Volker Bertelmann’s propulsive score, which starts with ominous juddering groans and keeps shapeshifting throughout.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025
Treat it as a sounding board for album names, tour titles and hook ideas… the stuff that would make your spouse or best friend groan.
—Seth Yudof, Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Arthur groans, but there is affection in his protest.
—Literary Hub, 15 Aug. 2025
Yankees fans have moaned and groaned about Aaron Boone’s deployment of Williams in crucial situations this season, and it’s only exacerbated now that every game counts in the postseason race.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for groan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for groan
Noun
-
Not with a whimper but with a siren wail that long ago converted to white noise in our collective hearing; a global tinnitus like the hum of a fridge; the quiet roar of the Greenland ice sheet slipping into the Musk Ocean.—
Reuven Perlman,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Her wails make Davina recall her own confinement, where she was treated similarly awfully and responded by cursing the women in the room.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Most of these are held in a tent, from which loud, ecstatic moans can be heard for seemingly miles around.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 Aug. 2025
-
Out comes another moan, this one closer to a laugh as Brandon’s face flashes a smile.—
Scott Craven,
AZCentral.com,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
And Gutfeld didn’t shed any tears for his fellow TV host.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
-
For some, tears stained their faces.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But that joy recently turned into constant crying.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Which is ironic considering that the smallest stations have typically avoided engaging with exactly the kind of national politics that have got the GOP crying bias.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Since Kimmel’s remark, the backlash has shifted from conservative furor to cries of capitulation, coming from Capitol Hill Democrats, to former President Barack Obama, to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The venues shuttered in March 2020, at the onset of COVID, prompting public lamentations from filmmakers ranging from Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang to Edgar Wright and Olivia Wilde.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Aug. 2025
-
So this isn’t a lamentation that the Giants didn’t trade these players, per se.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The wind’s howl filled my left ear and the music blasted from my speakers filled my right.—
Manuel Muñoz,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In addition to the winners, the brewery will offer consolation prizes to participants with the best costume, the slowest race time and the best howl.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Apologies and laments and longing are woven throughout the album, but the speaker doesn’t ask anything of anyone that comes across as especially loud.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Beristain’s lament may sound like a song of the past, but eight years later, that rhythm is returning.—
Lluvia Gaucin,
IndyStar,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Groan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/groan. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share