wailverb
uk/weɪl/us/weɪl/[ I or T ] to make a long, high cry, usually because of pain or sadness:
The women gathered around the coffin and began to wail, as was the custom in the region.
[ + speech ] "My finger hurts," wailed the child.
[ I ] informal to complain loudly or strongly:
[ + that ] Business people wailed that their trade would be ruined.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Expressing and showing feelings
- abandon
- affective
- be in/get into a state idiom
- beat your breast/chest idiom
- beetroot
- bubble
- expression
- flame
- hot and heavy idiom
- impassioned
- lose it idiom
- marvel
- moved
- pine
- throw
- viscerally
- vocalize
- wear your heart on your sleeve idiom
- whimper
- wring your hands idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Sounds made by humans with their mouths
Shouting & screaming
Complaining
wailnoun [ C ]
uk/weɪl/us/weɪl/a long, high, loud cry, especially because of something unpleasant:
a wail of anguish
the wail of the police sirens
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sounds made by humans with their mouths
- boom
- catcall
- cheer
- crow
- cry
- gasp
- groan
- hoot
- keen
- laugh, shout, scream, etc. your head off idiom
- moan
- rasp
- raspberry
- roar
- sibilant
- squall
- whistle
- whoop
- wolf whistle
- yowl
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