groan
Americannoun
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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.
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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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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.
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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)
noun
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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
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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
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have been groaningperfect progressive
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has been groaningperfect progressive
Past
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groanedsimple
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had groanedperfect
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was groaningprogressive
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were groaningprogressive
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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.
Groan Ups isn't like Mischief Theatre's other shows.
From BBC • Dec. 19, 2019
Stella Gibbons’s gloriously satirized Cold Comfort Farm, home to the doom-laden Starkadders, and Mervyn Peake’s gloriously morose Gormenghast, ancestral seat of the hapless Earls of Groan, provide a welcome touch of novelty.
From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2019
Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels - Titus Groan, Gormenghast and Titus Alone - have been read in many ways.
From BBC • May 10, 2013
There are not many books as strange as Titus Groan, where everything is different - the characters, the ritual, the language and the extraordinary, brooding presence of the castle of Gormenghast itself.
From The Guardian • Apr. 25, 2013
When I was holding a Cup at his Mouth, he fell into Convulsions; and at this very Time I hear my dear Master's last Groan.
From The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Addison, Joseph
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.
