moan
[ mohn ]
/ moʊn /
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noun
verb (used without object)
to utter moans, as of pain or grief.
(of the wind, sea, trees, etc.) to make any sound suggestive of such moans: The wind moaned through the trees.
verb (used with object)
to utter (something) inarticulately or pitifully, as if in lamentation: He moaned his response.
to lament or bemoan: to moan one's fate.
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Origin of moan
1175–1225; Middle English mone, man(e) (noun), Old English mān, unattested but inferred from its derivative mǣnan “to mourn”
synonym study for moan
1. See groan.
OTHER WORDS FROM moan
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use moan in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for moan
moan
/ (məʊn) /
noun
a low prolonged mournful sound expressive of suffering or pleading
any similar mournful sound, esp that made by the wind
a grumble or complaint
verb
to utter (words) in a low mournful manner
(intr) to make a sound like a moan
(usually intr) to grumble or complain (esp in the phrase moan and groan)
Derived forms of moan
moaner, nounmoanful, adjectivemoaning, noun, adjectivemoaningly, adverbWord Origin for moan
C13: related to Old English mǣnan to grieve over
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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