wail

[weyl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR wail ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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

to make mournful sounds, as music or the wind.

to lament or mourn bitterly.

Jazz. to perform exceptionally well.

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

verb (used with object)

to express deep sorrow for; mourn; lament; bewail: to wail the dead; to wail one's fate.

to express in wailing; cry or say in lamentation: to wail one's grief.

noun

the act of wailing.

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

any similar mournful sound: the wail of an old tune.

Nearby words

Origin of wail

1300–50; Middle English weile (v. and noun), perhaps derivative of Old English weilā(wei) well-away; compare Old English wǣlan to torment, Old Norse wǣla to wail

Related formswail·er, nounwail·ing·ly, adverbun·wailed, adjectiveun·wail·ing, adjective

Can be confusedwail whale

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

Examples from the Web for wailed

As McSpadden wailed in grief, Head climbed on the hood of the car to console her.
The Baptism of Michael Brown Sr. and Ferguson’s Baptism by Fire|Justin Glawe|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Little Kristina wailed as she was taken out of sight of her mother; she has not been seen since.
Amnesty Report: ISIS Committing Ethnic Cleansing on an Historic Scale|Nico Hines|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My chest pressed into the foot of the crib, arms outstretched through bars, I wailed at an open door to an empty staircase.
‘Tracing the Blue Light’: Read Chapter 1 of Eileen Cronin’s ‘Mermaid’|Eileen Cronin|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Huddled in groups outside the storefronts, people chatted and waited, cried and wailed the names of the missing.
‘It Sounded Like Someone Kicked My Door In’: The Disaster That Rocked East Harlem|Jacob Siegel|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

"I thought I was going to fly right over Dave's head," wailed Jessie, who had come up behind the youth with a great thump.
Dave Porter At Bear Camp|Edward Stratemeyer
“I have already cut out about fifteen hundred words,” wailed Molly.
Molly Brown's College Friends|Nell Speed
"You are so beautiful—so beautiful," I wailed, as I looked at it another time.
Amazing Grace|Kate Trimble Sharber
"Why, she can't go down there inter Mexico," wailed the woman.
The Mission of Janice Day|Helen Beecher Long
"There isn't a soul in this house I can talk to," she wailed.
The Window at the White Cat|Mary Roberts Rinehart

British Dictionary definitions for wailed

wail

verb

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

(intr) to make a sound resembling such a crythe wind wailed in the trees

(tr) to lament, esp with mournful sounds

noun

a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound

Derived Formswailer, nounwailful, adjectivewailfully, adverb

Word Origin for wail

C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse vǣla to wail, Old English wā woe

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 wailed

wail

c.1400; see wail (v.).

wail

early 14c., from Old Norse væla "to lament," from væ "woe" (see woe). Of jazz musicians, "to play very well," attested from 1955, American English slang (wailing "excellent" is attested from 1954). Related: Wailed.

wail

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of wail

Examples from the Web for wailed

wail

verb

noun

Word Origin for wail

wail

wail