wail

Pronunciation

• enPR: wāl, IPA ^(key): /weɪl/ or [weɪɫ]

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: whale

Verb

Plain form wail

Third-person singular wails

Past tense wailed

Past participle wailed

Present participle wailing

1. When you wail, you cry intensely, usually in anguish or grief.

   The mother wailed when her child died.

2. Wailing is when something makes a noise that sounds like crying.

   The wind wailed through the trees during the storm.

Noun

Singular wail

Plural wails

1. A wail is a long, loud, high-pitched cry of sorrow or grief.

   The dog's wails were painful to hear.

Related words

• wailer