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wail

[ weyl ]
/ weɪl /
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See synonyms for: wail / wailed / wailing / wailer on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
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
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Origin of wail

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

OTHER WORDS FROM wail

wailer, nounwail·ing·ly, adverbun·wailed, adjectiveun·wail·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wail

wail , whale
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to wail

fuss, grieve, howl, moan, mourn, sob, weep, whimper, bawl, bay, bemoan, bewail, complain, deplore, jowl, keen, kick, lament, repine, squall

How to use wail in a sentence

  • He threatened the wailer with his fist, and the black cowered down, glaring at him with sullen eyes.

    Adventure|Jack London

  • Marie took the poor wailer from her with a divine motion and carried it to the hearth.

    The Lady of Fort St. John|Mary Hartwell Catherwood

  • Then follows the story: Luisa, the Wailer, in life was a woman of the people, very beautiful.

    Legends of the City of Mexico|Thomas A. Janvier

  • After weeping over her dead body he sets out in search of a Wailer.

    Russian Fairy Tales|W. R. S. Ralston

British Dictionary definitions for wail

wail
/ (weɪl) /
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 forms of wail

wailer, 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
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