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.

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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

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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

Sirens wail as ambulances and rescue vehicles race through the streets.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Ada, 36, is strolling on the beach, unfazed by the wail of air alert sirens mingling with the squawking of seagulls.

From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026

“This can’t be happening,” I wail, my hands shaking as I feel the unprecedented thinness of my ponytail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025

Zhao has been signaling this moment from the start of the film, and when Hamnet’s bright, earnest voice is replaced by Buckley’s full-bodied, guttural wail, it’s nearly impossible to stay stone-faced.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2025

The thin wail of a police siren rose behind them.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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

So the next time you mimic those lung-busting wails at karaoke or hear “What’s Up?” used in a movie or on TV show, you can marvel at the song’s timeless solace.

From Salon ● May 26, 2025

“Been on the job two weeks,” he wails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2025

I only dump sharp, slicing, painful wails out into the car.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi

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

Women dressed in black robes wailed over the bodies, one of which was draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag - a reflection of the group's support in this largely Shia area.

From BBC ● Mar. 28, 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

“Take me to my father,” she wailed as a paramedic tended to her wounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2025

“I want to ride on the bike too,” Raymond wailed beside me, wriggling his hand out of mine.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

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

This week, with air raid warnings wailing in the distance, Kyiv held a funeral for two sisters.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

Eventually, the bus made its way out onto the main road and towards the team hotel some 15 minutes' drive away, leaving several supporters wailing and sobbing.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

The wailing sound you just heard was a Cleveland Browns fan screaming Why do I do this to myself?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026

She could not even whisper the desperate, wailing cry that throbbed in her chest.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

Related Words

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