groan
Americannoun
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groans
plural
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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)
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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:
And from everyone in the car came a soft collective sigh, a groan, an ohhhhhhh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
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
Empathy, on stage, becomes a cornerstone of experiencing live performance that pulls heartstrings, inspires raucous laughter or elicits a collective groan when a poorly-hatched plan falters.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
As I set off, the shoes emitted a peppy clip-clop and a satisfying groan of distressed leather with each step.
From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026
Rooster Jim waved and, with a groan, straightened himself to a stand from the patch of garden he was weeding.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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
Wanting to be positive in possession and play forward, he had no options, nowhere to go but back, which drew groans of derision.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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
Were those chuckles overpowered by groans and eye rolls?
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
The guy sitting behind me groans and mutters about how much he hates writing and thought this was history class, but Mr. Griffiths ignores him and keeps speaking.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
They tried to spend the night inside, but the roof groaned and terrified them.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The door groaned open, and out crawled Ernesto, blinking into the warm Southern California air.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2026
The Galen Center crowd groaned, seemingly knowing what was coming next.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2026
“Man oh man, this is bowling-shoe ugly,” groaned Mauro Ranallo, the Netflix announcer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Her shoe got all wet, and she groaned.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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
I’m not sure it’s a hard rule, but it feels like one when considering the silly groaning over defending champion and freshly-crowned back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
Every once in a while, I hear an awful groaning and grinding sound.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
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.
