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

With his rapid-fire mandolin playing and tenor wail, Buzz Busby delighted crowds in the honky-tonks of Washington, D.C.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

If you’ve wondered what would happen when a garage-rocker cowboy is joined by a punk who likes the Western wail of steel guitars, look no further than “Blame the Clown.”

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

Shortly afterwards, mobile phones beeped in unison as a missile alert came in and the wail of sirens started up.

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

Wylie does, recalling "the wail of sirens and then the release wail of the all clear and the smell of gas".

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026

The little boy’s mom is trying to stuff his wriggling legs into a high chair, but he arches his back and lets out a wail.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

The constant air raids are a huge problem for businesses, many of which have to shut their doors every time a siren wails.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

"Literally, the entire group was there in the building, this is a terrible and extraordinary event," he said, as anguished wails from other pilgrims with him are heard over the video.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

Her wails subsided, becoming long, jerky open-mouthed breaths.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

"Oh, my martyred child," he wailed, "oh my darling."

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 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

Sunday was the test that all championship teams must pass, and the Rams did so with frozen hands and puffy faces and a will that wailed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2025

“But I have to go to school,” I wailed as if she’d just given me awful news.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

“I fought for that because I knew no DJ would cut that song off with Neal’s guitar wailing at the end of it. It was too brilliant.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

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

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

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

And from all angles, from in front and behind, came the wailing sound of sirens.

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Related Words

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