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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of moan
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2025
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
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Ellis could be heard moaning and could be seen lying on the ground.
—Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for moan
Noun
Once again inducing moans of agony from Oceanside to Baja when the game mattered most, Padres hitters came up short Thursday.
—Verb
Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for moan
Noun
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The names of full-game starting quarterbacks since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s retirement after the 1996 season are voluminous and, at times, groan-inducing.—
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Cohen said, drawing another groan from Cooper.—
Noun
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With the band mostly back together, the Minnesota Wild made the goal horn wail enough for their seventh straight win on Saturday.—
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The ear-splitting wails came from a little girl trying to get the star’s attention.—
Noun
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These are no longer the days of whine and turned-up noses.—
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Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.—
Verb
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Later, the state spent $6 million to seal the brick building, after state workers complained of respiratory ailments and asthma.—
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Although older drivers are certainly more sensitive to nocturnal blasts of light, drivers in their 20s and 30s also complained about the overall brightness of some vehicles.—
Noun
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No more crying tots – or well-meaning helper elves – tugging on their long white beards and hemlines.—
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Navarro scoffed that her crying was rehearsed.—
Noun
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Property Insurance If property taxes are the House GOP’s flagship affordability issue, property insurance has become the Democrats’ rallying cry.—
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Demonstrations have included cries in support of the shah, something that could bring a death sentence in the past but now underlines the anger fueling the protests that began over Iran’s ailing economy.—
Noun
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Until Verizon amends its complaint and the judge rules on the emergency request, there is no court directive preventing the association from moving forward with the rooftop work that Verizon says would interrupt wireless service in the area.—
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Beyond the service commitments, the complaint accuses HMM of conditioning access to space on the payment of peak season surcharges (PSS) and other extra-contractual fees—despite contract language that expressly barred such add-ons unless mutually agreed.—
Verb
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Hearing the Creature screaming his name, Victor turns back.—
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For all the talk about home-field advantage and the Bears needing their fans to scream 20 percent louder and be 30 percent drunker than usual, past precedent shows that won’t matter much.—
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moan. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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