wail

American  

[weyl] / weɪl /

verb (used without object)

• wails,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wailed,
  past participle,  past
• wailing
  present participle

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.

---

verb (used with object)

• wails,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wailed,
  past participle,  past
• wailing
  present participle

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

• wails
  plural

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

---

noun

1. a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wails
  plural

Participles

• wailing
  present
• wailed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wail
  simple
• wails
  simple
• have wailed
  perfect
• has wailed
  perfect
• am wailing
  progressive
• are wailing
  progressive
• is wailing
  progressive
• have been wailing
  perfect progressive
• has been wailing
  perfect progressive

Past

• wailed
  simple
• had wailed
  perfect
• was wailing
  progressive
• were wailing
  progressive
• had been wailing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wail
  simple
• will have wailed
  perfect
• will be wailing
  progressive
• will have been wailing
  perfect progressive

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”

Explanation

To wail is to let loose a long loud cry. If you're feeling truly miserable, take a deep breath and wail as loudly as possible. When it comes to expressing unhappiness, wailing lies at the extreme end of the spectrum. So, it's best to save this response for life's most unpleasant moments — unless you're a jazz musician. In jazz terminology, wailing on one's instrument is actually a good thing. What's the connection between an eardrum-shattering expression of misery and a hot jam session? The answer to that question may depend on your personal musical preferences.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wail wails wailed wailing

With his rapid-fire mandolin playing and tenor wail, Buzz Busby delighted crowds in the honky-tonks of Washington, D.C.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

At each siren wail, the musicians were trained to dive for cover - sometimes mid-session.

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

Shortly afterwards, mobile phones beeped in unison as a missile alert came in and the wail of sirens started up.

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

Police and firefighter sirens wail in the distance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026

One short beep, followed by a long wail.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

Yet amid the wails is heard a new maturity about the government’s role and fiscal limits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

“My grandmother was a sharecropper in Arkansas, and I know that this is the same thing,” a man shouts at one point as whistles shrill and a handheld siren wails.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2026

At times, the noise of grinding gears can obscure the soprano whoops and wails of the preschoolers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026

Cries and wails are repeatedly heard throughout the videos as people mourn the loss of their loves ones.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

Incomprehensible voices battered him, sobs and shouts and wails stabbed the night, but Harry and Ginny walked on, back up the steps into the entrance hall.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Jamie Varley, 37, who earlier wailed for his mother, made the remark in the bereavement room at Blackpool Victoria Hospital with 13-month-old Preston Davey in his arms.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

They wailed and sang as they beat their chests with their hands, a common mourning ritual in Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026

As we spoke an air raid siren wailed overhead – the sound so familiar that Margaryta did not respond.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2025

“I’m not sure I’ve wept or wailed like that in several years,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 10, 2025

“Balder, my son. Oh Balder, oh my son,” she wailed.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

During Arbaeen, they show their grief, mourning with weeping and wailing in memory of Hussein.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

The lyrics mention muddy water and Natchez, Miss., and he adds wailing fills on the instrument officially known as a harmonica but which in this context is usually called a “harp.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

"Woken by huge bangs and wailing siren," he texted.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

No, Moore goes for the hard stuff: wailing saxophones, arrhythmic bass lines, drums that follow beats so out of time they might as well come from the deepest reaches of space.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025

This set off the loudest bout of wailing yet, but the dragon obediently began to mumble words that Jack couldn’t understand.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Related Words

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