wailed; wailing; wails
1
: to express sorrow audibly : lament
2
: to make a sound suggestive of a mournful cry
3
: to express dissatisfaction plaintively : complain
1
: to say or express plaintively
wailed that her cake was ruined
2
archaic
: bewail
Synonyms
Examples of wail in a Sentence
Verb
The child started wailing after she stumbled and fell.
A saxophone wailed in the background.
“No! I don't want to go!” he wailed.
She wailed that the vacation was ruined.
Noun
the wail of a siren
a prolonged wail arose from every corner of the city as the victims of the earthquake were unearthed from the rubble
Recent Examples on the Web
Adam Schreck and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
According to the legend, La Llorona is the spirit of a woman who, in a moment of despair, drowned her children in a river and now roams the Earth, wailing in sorrow and searching for them.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024
Monisha Rajesh, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2024
Everything is quiet except the torturous, repetitive wail of the caller.
—Britta Lokting, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail 
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Verb
Sirens wailed in Israel warning of incoming fire from Lebanon; the military said dozens of projectiles were launched.
—Adam Schreck and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024
According to the legend, La Llorona is the spirit of a woman who, in a moment of despair, drowned her children in a river and now roams the Earth, wailing in sorrow and searching for them.
—Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024
Noun
Over the wail of the train’s brakes, a guitarist burst into song, his voice clear and mellow.
—Monisha Rajesh, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2024
Everything is quiet except the torturous, repetitive wail of the caller.
—Britta Lokting, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for wail
Articles Related to wail
Dictionary Entries Near wail
Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wail. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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