wail

American  

[weyl] / weɪl /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high-pitched or clear-sounding, as in grief or suffering.

   to wail with pain.

2. to make mournful sounds, as music or the wind.

3. to lament or mourn bitterly.

4. Jazz. to perform exceptionally well.

5. Slang. to express emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.

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verb (used with object)

1. to express deep sorrow for; mourn; lament; bewail.

   to wail the dead;

   to wail one's fate.

2. to express in wailing; cry or say in lamentation.

   to wail one's grief.

noun

1. the act of wailing.

2. a wailing cry, as of grief, pain, or despair.

3. any similar mournful sound.

   the wail of an old tune.

wail British  

/ weɪl /

verb

1. (intr) to utter a prolonged high-pitched cry, as of grief or misery

2. (intr) to make a sound resembling such a cry

   the wind wailed in the trees

3. (tr) to lament, esp with mournful sounds

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noun

1. a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound

Other Word Forms

• unwailed adjective
• wailer noun
• wailful adjective
• wailfully adverb

Etymology

Origin of wail

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English weile (verb and noun), perhaps derivative of Old English weilāwei wellaway ( def. ); compare Old English wǣlan “to torment,” Old Norse wǣla “to wail”

Example Sentences

As she spoke to her staff, Rock wailed silently on the baby monitor app on her phone.

From Los Angeles Times

Then it happened — somewhere between a cymbal crash and a guitar wail.

From Los Angeles Times

When she pushed them around her table, they emitted whistles and wails, which a giggly suzueri accompanied by singing into a microphone, adding her own charmingly oddball whistles and wails.

From Los Angeles Times

“This can’t be happening,” I wail, my hands shaking as I feel the unprecedented thinness of my ponytail.

From Los Angeles Times

In the hours after the shooting, many in the neighborhood were kept awake as sirens from ambulances and police cars wailed, their lights flashing eerily in the dense tule fog.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fuss
• grieve
• howl
• moan
• mourn
• sob
• weep
• whimper