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
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
Frances Dodds Samantha Desz Krish Seenivasan Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 18 May 2025
The film celebrates artists who challenge the status quo and give voice to those on the fringes of society, all accompanied by a soundtrack that mixes traditional Japanese music with the thudding drums, wailing guitar, and primal screams of modern rock.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 7 May 2025
Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr. 2025
In this ode to deception, stark ironies become the self-punishing wail of survivors.
—William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
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Verb
And while all babies cry, traumatized babies cry a lot, and these babies wailed at the slightest provocation.
—Frances Dodds Samantha Desz Krish Seenivasan Joel Thibodeau, New York Times, 18 May 2025
The film celebrates artists who challenge the status quo and give voice to those on the fringes of society, all accompanied by a soundtrack that mixes traditional Japanese music with the thudding drums, wailing guitar, and primal screams of modern rock.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 7 May 2025
Noun
Staying put In Kyiv, residents have adjusted to the regular wail of sirens and periodic explosions.
—Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr. 2025
In this ode to deception, stark ironies become the self-punishing wail of survivors.
—William Logan, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wail
Cite this Entry
“Wail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wail. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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