- present participle of wail.
wailing
Americanadjective
-
uttering a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high-pitched or clear-sounding, as in grief or suffering.
In the village we passed a funeral procession, the wailing widow following behind the body of her husband.
-
making a mournful sound, as a siren, music, the wind, etc..
A wailing police siren nears, passes, and fades.
-
complaining, protesting, whining, or crying.
He rubbed the bare foot of the wailing toddler and planted a kiss on it.
They’re always trying to correct the market, usually in the interests of some wailing pressure group.
-
Slang. expressing emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.
The song celebrates with a Cajun-flavored stomp accompanied by a wailing fiddle and screaming electric guitar.
noun
-
wailings
plural
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a mournful cry or sound, or the act of making such a sound.
The wailing of the mourners rose and fell, merging with the drums and the shaman’s chants.
-
an act or instance of complaining, protesting, etc..
“All art is propaganda, despite the wailing of purists,” she sneered.
-
Slang. the act of expressing emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.
At this live show from 1974, the soulful wailing of the chorus in the background is utterly spine-tingling.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of wailing
First recorded in 1350–1400; wail ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; wail ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Half of the assembled musicians played on the film’s original soundtrack; star trumpet soloist Bijon Watson can even be seen wailing in the Lighthouse jazz scenes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
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
As Héctor and the other paramedic, Julio César Vega, 28, entered the premises, a woman ran in wailing.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
The wailing was so loud that Penelope had to fight the urge not to cover her ears.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
It’s more like a Wagnerian music-drama, a somber story built around intimations of doom and orchestrated with a soundtrack of pounding drums and high-pitched wailings and ululations.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 21, 2021
During one Loueke showcase, his distorted voice occupied the same trebly range as his guitar wailings and scrapings.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2017
He testily advised him “to leave the predictions of Cassandra and the wailings of Jeremiah backstage.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2010
“The same wailings from the new arrivals, the same barking and shouts from the guards,” a character in Atwood’s new novel, The Testaments, a sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, recalls of Gilead’s convulsive birth.
From Slate
The tender mercies of the Father, the love of the Son of God, were described; the wailings of the lost and the raptures of the redeemed were portrayed in the most powerful and touching manner.
From Nurse and Spy in the Union Army The Adventures and Experiences of a Woman in Hospitals, Camps, and Battle-Fields by S. Emma E. Edmonds
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