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
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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
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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:
“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
The choice brought a collective groan from much of the fan base.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 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
I can snarkily compare it to the mumps, and groan all I want about civilization’s decline, but come on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
I groan at the realization that I’ll have to explain this, crumpling into Dara, who is nice enough to give me a hug.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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
As a man with a booming voice who gave his name only as Sheriff slammed down a piece to the groans of other players, artillery crackled in the distance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Were those chuckles overpowered by groans and eye rolls?
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
A second big speech toward the end will almost certainly get groans that are as much our fault as his.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Uncle Ty groans and stirs on the sofa.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
As the lights suddenly turned off across Havana, residents who were sat outside to get some respite from the summer heat audibly groaned en masse.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 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
Wood groaned in protest as he raced across a narrow board bridging this rooftop to the next.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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
Jenrick managed to be late to his own defection, in the latest dollop of farce on a day groaning with drama, jeopardy, skulduggery and plotting.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026
When he first started his job, Caldeira spent time in return queues at stores groaning at the many customers who held up the lines in a confusion of QR codes and labels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
Upon hearing the words, “Mom’s not coming back anymore,” Isaac, Israel and Afrika are hysterical, groaning and crying while falling to the ground.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2025
The two children watched as the men chased after Nathan’s boat, Marco groaning and writhing in the back.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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.
