moan
noun
\ ˈmōn
\
\
Definition of moan
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: lamentation, complaint
… made a great moan if he had to work …— D. H. Lawrence
2
: a low prolonged sound of pain or of grief
a moan of distress
moan
verb
moaned;
moaning;
moans
Definition of moan (Entry 2 of 2)
2a
: to make a moan : groan
b
: to emit a sound resembling a moan
the wind moaned in the trees
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Other Words from moan
Verb
moaner
\ ˈmō-nər
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of moan in a Sentence
Noun
She let out a long, deep moan. the moan of the wind the moan of the car's engineVerb
The wounded soldier moaned in pain. He moaned with pleasure as she rubbed his back. We were all moaning about the cold, rainy weather. He's always moaning about his salary. The children were moaning and groaning all morning, but their mother would not let them go outside. I'm tired of all his moaning and groaning about his salary. “But I don't want to go,” moaned the boy. The wind moaned in the trees.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The singer, best known for his work with British post-punk band Bauhaus, helped codify the sound of goth music with his grim moan and melancholy lyrics. — Randall Robertsstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Goth legend Peter Murphy hospitalized after suffering heart attack," 14 Aug. 2019 Sometimes people’s response to my being from New Orleans is a sound—moans, gasps of memory, which generally precede their stories of the city, usually characterized as wonderful, singular, sometimes bewitching. — Sarah M. Broom, The New Yorker, "Who Stays Gone, and Who Can Afford to Return," 12 Aug. 2019 Over abstract backing tracks that replaced conventional beats with moans, squeals and muffled roars, the artist played his part almost too well. — Kevin Williams, chicagotribune.com, "Pitchfork Music Fest 2019: What we loved and what we could do without on day 3," 21 July 2019 Superballs mounted on bamboo skewers made the piano moan and groan. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Review: Carlsbad Music Festival brings diverse mix of unusual music," 4 Aug. 2019 In Lyuh’s deft hands, its piercing moan sounded more like a blues guitar than any of those. — Zoë Madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Bang on a Can turns up the volume with LOUD Weekend at Mass MoCA," 3 Aug. 2019 White and his fellow frontman and guitarist Brendan Benson teased out the opening guitar lines, injecting the melody with more rattle and moan, before the riff finally kicked into gear. — Piet Levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Raconteurs with Jack White rock Milwaukee for the first time at sold-out Eagles Ballroom show," 15 July 2019 The doors opened with slow creaking moans, and all the feet that entered turned into knees. — Silvina Ocampo, The New Yorker, "Skylight," 11 July 2019 Their sounds—peeps, moans, and donkey-like brays—bounce off the mountains. — Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, "These New Expedition Cruises Take Travelers to the World’s Most Remote Corners," 28 June 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Searching Bailey, who can be heard moaning in the video, the officers find a gun and cut his pants off to secure the weapon. — Hollie Silverman And Theresa Waldrop, CNN, "Family of man shot in the back by police in Colorado call for independent investigation," 15 Aug. 2019 Some listened dreamily with eyes closed; some squirmed, others were completely ecstatic, entranced; still others were demonstrative, ringing [sic] their hands and moaning softly in obvious bids for attention. — Los Angeles Times, "From the Archives: Frank Sinatra at the Hollywood Bowl," 13 Aug. 2019 The show includes 80 life-size dinosaurs moaning in a darkened exposition center, familiar to many families as the site of Palm Beach County’s public school graduations. — Lois K. Solomon, sun-sentinel.com, "They’re not extinct in West Palm Beach: Dinosaur theme park draws thousands | PHOTOS," 17 Aug. 2019 Bailey soon collapsed and moaned as officers handcuffed him. — Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Video shows Colorado Springs police shoot De’Von Bailey in the back as he runs away," 15 Aug. 2019 Dolphins click, whales moan, walruses bellow and seals bark. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Listen to a Seal Sing the Star Wars Theme and ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’," 25 June 2019 The lion approaches my tent and moans on the opposite side of a gauzy screen, 10 feet from my head. — Ken Geiger, National Geographic, "Why walking safaris are the best way to see wildlife," 17 June 2019 Barges creaked and moaned in the distance as anchor-outs rowed to and from the shore, occasionally stopping to greet each other along the way. — Joe Kloc, Harper's magazine, "Lost at Sea," 10 June 2019 The wood gave off a pungent, earthy smell and the wind moaned through the tall oaks and pines. — Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, "The Ultimate Guide To Cutting and Splitting Firewood," 28 Sep. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'moan.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for moan
moan
noun
English Language Learners Definition of moan
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a long, low sound that someone makes because of pain, unhappiness, or physical pleasure
: a long, low sound
British, informal
: a complaint about something
moan
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of moan (Entry 2 of 2)
: to make a long, low sound because of pain, unhappiness, or physical pleasure
: to express unhappiness about something
: to say (something) in a way that shows pain or unhappiness
See the full definition for moan in the English Language Learners Dictionary
moan
noun
\ ˈmōn
\
\