wail
[ weyl ]
/ weɪl /
Save This Word!
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
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
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, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wail
wail , whaleDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for wail
He threatened the wailer with his fist, and the black cowered down, glaring at him with sullen eyes.
Adventure|Jack LondonMarie took the poor wailer from her with a divine motion and carried it to the hearth.
The Lady of Fort St. John|Mary Hartwell CatherwoodThen follows the story: Luisa, the Wailer, in life was a woman of the people, very beautiful.
Legends of the City of Mexico|Thomas A. JanvierAfter 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, adverbWord 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