groan
Americannoun
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groans
plural
-
a low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
the groans of dying soldiers.
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a deep, inarticulate sound uttered in derision, disapproval, desire, etc.
-
a deep grating or creaking sound due to a sudden or continued overburdening, as with a great weight.
We heard the groan of the ropes as the crane lowered the heavy cargo into the ship's hold.
verb (used without object)
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groans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
groaned,
past participle, past
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groaning
present participle
-
to utter a deep, mournful sound expressive of pain or grief.
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to make a deep, inarticulate sound expressive of derision, disapproval, desire, etc.
-
to make a sound resembling a groan; resound harshly.
The steps of the old house groaned under my weight.
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to be overburdened or overloaded.
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to suffer greatly or lamentably.
groaning under an intolerable burden.
verb (used with object)
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groans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
groaned,
past participle, past
-
groaning
present participle
noun
-
a prolonged stressed dull cry expressive of agony, pain, or disapproval
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a loud harsh creaking sound, as of a tree bending in the wind
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informal a grumble or complaint, esp a persistent one
verb
-
to utter (low inarticulate sounds) expressive of pain, grief, disapproval, etc
they all groaned at Larry's puns
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(intr) to make a sound like a groan
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(intr, usually foll by beneath or under) to be weighed down (by) or suffer greatly (under)
the country groaned under the dictator's rule
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informal (intr) to complain or grumble
Synonym Usage
Groan, moan refer to sounds indicating deep suffering. A groan is a brief, strong, deep-throated sound emitted involuntarily under pressure of pain or suffering: The wounded man groaned when they lifted him. A moan is a prolonged, more or less continuous, low, inarticulate sound indicative of suffering, either physical or mental: She was moaning after the operation. She did not weep, but moaned softly.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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groansimple
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groanssimple
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have groanedperfect
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has groanedperfect
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am groaningprogressive
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are groaningprogressive
-
is groaningprogressive
-
have been groaningperfect progressive
-
has been groaningperfect progressive
Past
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groanedsimple
-
had groanedperfect
-
was groaningprogressive
-
were groaningprogressive
-
had been groaningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of groan
First recorded before 900; Middle English gronen, Old English grānian; cognate with German greinen “to whine”
Explanation
A groan is a sound of pain or disapproval that doesn't consist of words, usually heard after homework is assigned or bad jokes are told. People groan for lots of reasons: headaches, stomachaches, traffic jams, and bad news are just a few groan-worthy things that can provoke that moaning, "uuugghhhhh" sound. If someone is complaining about something, you could say she's "moaning and groaning." People like to moan and groan about the weather, politics, and just about everything else.
Vocabulary lists containing groan
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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Excerpt from "A Raisin in the Sun"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At the university, shelves groan with jagged pieces of spines, necks and legs that to an untrained eye resemble battered stones.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Otherwise, you sit there and moan and groan and don’t vote. They’re going to do what they want,” David Goodman said.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
From time to time, they hear him speak or groan.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Slowly, “Undertone” reveals itself to be all style and very little substance, with enough baffling character choices to make you groan.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
There’s a response groan from the opposite side of the room.
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
As they watched themselves warbling, a camera captured the full array of their facial expressions—moans, groans and self-conscious laughter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
James Tarkowski: Long ball straight to Senne Lammens in the second half drew groans from the crowd and a stream of invective from his manager.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Well, what exactly are you talking about, Whoopi?” he answered, generating groans from the studio’s audience.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2026
But even here, the long arm of the crisis is visible, with the TV reception periodically freezing, triggering loud groans from supporters clad in the yellow Brazilian jerseys of stars Vinicius Junior, Neymar and others.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
Aliya groans, but I can tell she wants to watch what we come up with.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
Her assistant groaned over her calendar; Gloria would say “yes” when asked for help, even if it meant being two places at once.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Some of the damaged buildings groaned with each new rumble of the earth, as Venezuela endured more aftershocks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
The door groaned open, and out crawled Ernesto, blinking into the warm Southern California air.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2026
“Man oh man, this is bowling-shoe ugly,” groaned Mauro Ranallo, the Netflix announcer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Metal groaned and screeched as the whole massive station broke apart.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
But the groaning synthesizer underneath her bashful smile tells you something is off — a crystalline tone now distended, unnerving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
The kitchen sinks aren’t working, and the plumbing is simultaneously screeching and groaning.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
For ninety minutes at least, supporters and critics found themselves watching the same screen, celebrating the same attacks and groaning at the same missed opportunities.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
Why are the patrons, transfixed by curious gladiating on a screen, screaming with delight one minute and groaning miserably the next?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
Belet tucked her phone away and stepped over the groaning Zack.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
