wail

American  

[weyl] / weɪl /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high-pitched or clear-sounding, as in grief or suffering.

   to wail with pain.

2. to make mournful sounds, as music or the wind.

3. to lament or mourn bitterly.

4. Jazz.  to perform exceptionally well.

5. Slang.  to express emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.

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verb (used with object)

1. to express deep sorrow for; mourn; lament; bewail.

   to wail the dead;

   to wail one's fate.

2. to express in wailing; cry or say in lamentation.

   to wail one's grief.

noun

1. the act of wailing.

2. a wailing cry, as of grief, pain, or despair.

3. any similar mournful sound.

   the wail of an old tune.

wail British  

/ weɪl /

verb

1. (intr) to utter a prolonged high-pitched cry, as of grief or misery

2. (intr) to make a sound resembling such a cry

   the wind wailed in the trees

3. (tr) to lament, esp with mournful sounds

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noun

1. a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound

Other Word Forms

• unwailed adjective
• wailer noun
• wailful adjective
• wailfully adverb

Etymology

Origin of wail

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English weile (verb and noun), perhaps derivative of Old English weilāwei wellaway ( def. ); compare Old English wǣlan “to torment,” Old Norse wǣla “to wail”

Example Sentences

The doctor caught the baby—no forceps—and into the quiet space came his wail.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Celia shrieks strangely," read one, while another said: "They repeat the wail."

From BBC

Indy is the most empathetic scream queen of the year so far — and I mean that literally as his breed, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever, is known for its high-pitched wail.

From Los Angeles Times

As Ukrainian parents wail, Putin has set up an online “catalog of Ukrainian children,” a photo database searchable by personal characteristics such as size and hair color.

From Salon

Greenwood’s graphic details are vivid and disturbing, from screaming that is “a high unnatural wail that could shrivel souls like salted slugs” to air “powdered with concrete and sulfur.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fuss
• grieve
• howl
• moan
• mourn
• sob
• weep
• whimper