moan

[mohn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR moan ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a prolonged, low, inarticulate sound uttered from or as if from physical or mental suffering.

any similar sound: the moan of the wind.

complaint or lamentation.

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.

Origin of moan

1175–1225; Middle English mone, man(e) (noun), Old English *mān, inferred from its derivative mǣnan to mourn

Related formsmoan·ful, adjectivemoan·ful·ly, adverbmoan·ing·ly, adverbun·moaned, adjectiveun·moan·ing, adjective

Synonyms for moan

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR moan ON THESAURUS.COM

1. See groan. 4. grieve. 4, 7. mourn. 7. deplore.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for moaning

sob, wail, sigh, carp, grumble, gripe, mourn, grieve, bewail, grouse, lament, whine, bemoan, keen, deplore

Examples from the Web for moaning

Contemporary Examples of moaning

“Keep me coming, keep me going, keep me humming, keep me moaning,” she pleads in the chorus.
‘Beyoncé’ Review: Genius…and Dripping of Sex
Kevin Fallon
December 13, 2013
Patients and employees were dazed, crying, and moaning, he said.
They Saw It Coming: Life in West, Texas, After the Boom
Christine Pelisek
April 22, 2013
And before he went over to talk to them, he came over to my office, and he was moaning and groaning.
What I'd Say to Lou Holtz
Michael Tomasky
January 24, 2013
Malika turned back to Hossein, who was folded up in his chair and moaning softly.
When Everything Changed
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
March 11, 2011
The new fangled metal contraption left their animal wheezing, moaning, and screeching as only a horse does.
Shut Up, Scarlett!
Stanley Crouch
December 19, 2009

Historical Examples of moaning

Now the wind came like a wolf down the Murchison Pass, howling and moaning.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Whenever the turnkey was coming he was groaning and moaning on the bed.
Tales And Novels, Volume 9 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
The oak tree beside it stood quieted of its moaning and tossing.
Bride of the Mistletoe
James Lane Allen
In the most pathetic way she dragged herself after me, moaning and beseeching for help.
Concerning Cats
Helen M. Winslow
A woman is holding her head and moaning and threatening to faint all over the place.
The Flying Cuspidors
V. R. Francis

British Dictionary definitions for moaning

moan

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 Formsmoaner, nounmoanful, adjectivemoaning, noun, adjectivemoaningly, adverb

Word Origin for moan

C13: related to Old English mǣnan to grieve over

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for moaning

moan

c.1200, "lamentation, mourning, weeping; complaining, the expressing of complaints; a complaint; lover's complaint; accusation, charge," probably from an unrecorded Old English *man "complaint," related to Old English mænan "complain, moan," also "tell, intend, signify" (see mean (v.1)); but OED discounts this connection. Meaning "long, low inarticulate murmur from some prolonged pain" is first recorded 1670s, "with onomatopoeic suggestion" [OED].

moan

mid-13c., "mourn (someone); regret, bewail;" c.1300, "to lament, grieve; utter moans;" probably from Old English *manan, related to mænan "to lament" (see moan (n.)). From 1724 as "to make a low, mournful sound." Related: Moaned; moaning.