1
as in groans
a long low sound indicating pain or grief
she uttered an agonized moan and clutched her stomach
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wails
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in whines
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in cries
to utter a moan
he moaned and cried for days after his dog, his only companion, died
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complains
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 moans
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moans
Noun
-
The cheers that accompanied the sixth-inning rally quickly turned to groans in the top of the seventh when struggling Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech walked Jung Hoo-Lee and Bailey to open the inning before striking out Drew Gilbert.—
Mike Digiovanna,
Oc Register,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Feel that lovely dog weight, dog density, as your dog settles and downshifts, grows heavy with unconsciousness, and makes the profound noises, the groans of contentment and secret multi-voweled suspirations, of a dog entering its sleep world.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
An ambulance siren wails past, coming up from the river.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There has been a consistent pattern with Florida football where a group of Gators fans complains about the current head coach, sportswriters mock them for having unrealistic expectations, and then those fans turn out to be totally correct.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Roman complains about pain in his feet, and Dennis offers him a foot massage.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 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
-
The Labour government has attempted to tame resentment by catering to the public’s most prominent complaints, particularly immigration.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Participating buyers agree to purchase produce from farms that adhere to the program’s stringent set of protections for workers, let workers be informed about their rights by the CIW and allow independent auditors to investigate complaints from their fields.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Rather than let his boy be torn apart by terrible creatures in the mist, David uses a gun to mercy-kill them all and screams in anguish because there isn't a bullet left for him.—
James Grebey,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Mom screams like a rabid animal.—
Dr. Sue Varma,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 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 leitmotif of unanswered doorbells, unacknowledged wails, and unsoothed whimpers punctuates the passivity of Epure’s surreal world.—
Olivia Bennett,
Variety,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Moans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moans. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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