wailed

past tense of wail
1
2
as in howled
to make a long loud mournful sound the women stood beside the coffins, wailing for their fallen sons and daughters

Synonyms & Similar Words

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wailed Others complained their ears still rang from how hard their children wailed for AC, a plea the women denied them in the interest of saving on utility bills. Danielle Parker, CBS News, 30 June 2026 Kimiya wailed as the bio-andy moved toward the gaping hole. Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2026 Meanwhile, DeGuzman wailed in the background. Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 23 June 2026 Founders of Avatech’s mentee companies, seated in front of their laptops, clapped and banged their hands on tables to the distinctive stomp-stomp-clap beat of the song as an electric guitar wailed. Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, The Atlantic, 1 June 2026 On Choute’s lap rode her Siamese cat, Vergère, who wailed throughout the journey. Literary Hub, 6 May 2026 Car alarms wailed in a parking lot. Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026 Belton experiences As sirens wailed the night of the tornado, Bill Anderson hunkered down in his basement a mile and a half away from the cemetery, Anderson told The Star by text. Kansas City Star, 25 Apr. 2026 Others wailed and screamed, raising their arms in the air. Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wailed
Verb
  • By early 1775, Quebec’s governor complained that this letter was stirring up the population by planting dangerous doubts about British imperial authority.
    Sarah M.S. Pearsall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
  • Smith has long complained that Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, hindered the province’s energy industry and fueled separatist sentiment.
    ABC News, ABC News, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Jingoists howled with rage that a foreigner—no, worse, a German—had got the England job.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 18 June 2026
  • Audiences and technophiles have been wowed, but film purists have howled over the trimming of more than 25 minutes of runtime, including some musical numbers.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Thompson screamed at the MTA worker before grabbing her and slashing on the left side of her nose, just below her eye, according to prosecutors.
    Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 26 June 2026
  • Ghosn’s name screamed out by shareholder As Nissan executives attempted to reassure investors that the company's latest turnaround plan would restore profitability, frustration boiled over inside the meeting hall.
    Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • As Brazil scored its first goal, fans in line groaned and cheered from beyond the barrier.
    Delia Sauer, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026
  • Those fans erupted when Harry Kane scored on a penalty kick in the 12th minute, and groaned bitterly when Baturina scored the equalizer some 20 minutes later.
    Jim Barnes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • Traffic hummed and whined on I-85.
    Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 13 May 2026
  • Second, in a report of their own, the pro-business commissioners whined that all of this was unfair.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • Another mother sobbed and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her 3- and 10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away.
    ABC News, ABC News, 26 June 2026
  • One mother sobbed and collapsed in grief as the bodies of her 3- and 10-year-old children were wrapped in blankets and carried away.
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
    Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026
  • As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made.
    Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Wailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wailed. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

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