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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of moan
Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Despite hearing her moan, Spees called in a level three resistance report but then continued escorting her toward his patrol vehicle.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 18 Dec. 2025
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The austerity gives her plenty of room to writhe, mug, and moan between occasional shots of an inflatable Martian and a tropical-looking Tiffany lamp.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for moan
Noun
Two microphones angle towards the duduk to capture resonant moans, creaks, squeaks and honks akin to the bridge’s.
—Ruby Rosenthal, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Despite hearing her moan, Spees called in a level three resistance report but then continued escorting her toward his patrol vehicle.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
Fennell begins on a black screen and the sound of creaks and moans.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The austerity gives her plenty of room to writhe, mug, and moan between occasional shots of an inflatable Martian and a tropical-looking Tiffany lamp.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for moan
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moan
Noun
-
That comment elicited an involuntary groan from the boy’s father, Dalvin Driver, who was in court.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
But on a Sunday morning in July 1595, the groan of the heavy wooden door startled him from his gesticulations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There was grit and grime to his feedback-heavy guitar wails, but there was sweep and grandeur too, more apparent on stage than on record.—
Piet Levy,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
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Ride the thrill of Hostile Design’s passionate wails and percussion overload when the group headlines eight shows to kick off the new year, making their way across California, Rhode Island, Quebec, Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Illinois with the same energy that once fueled their humble beginnings.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Village sounds of chickens and goats were pierced by the distant whine of commercial jets climbing out of Agadir’s international airport.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
-
No suspicious whine in the air, no burning of pungent oils to put off biters.—
Antonia Quirke,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Afterward, a student in the audience complained to his parents that, at the event, the deaths of Palestinian civilians had been characterized as collateral damage—a regrettable but unavoidable consequence of the battle against Hamas.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The driver and passenger in the BMW complained of pain.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her daughter raced home crying and her parents promptly reported the incident to Sacramento police that night.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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Mamoudou, what is the secret to good fake crying?—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sean said the dogs knocked his mother to the ground and continued attacking her as a passerby, who heard her cries from about a block away, rushed over on a bicycle to help.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
2 Apr. 2026
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Amazingly, there didn’t seem to be a single boo or any cries of dissent.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lack of communication from airlines during disruptions is a major complaint from customers across carriers, and anything companies can do to alleviate that will help with those frustrations.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Sinagra said that Brooksby resigned as a consequence of the complaints, but disagreed with them.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For families This hotel doesn’t scream family-friendly and there’s no kids’ menu in the restaurants.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
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Martens plans to scream, if not louder, than with more originality.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moan. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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