verb
wail
wayl
verb
1
To cry out loudly in grief, pain, or sorrow.
"She wailed uncontrollably at the funeral."
"The baby wailed all through the night."
noun
1
A long, high-pitched cry of grief or distress.
"A wail of anguish echoed through the hospital corridor."
How to Use Wail
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo cry loudly and mournfully, or the sound of that cry.
Easily confused with
whale →
wale
Common pairings
wail in grief
siren wail
let out a wail
Word Forms
wailed past tense, wailed past tense, wails plural, wails singular, wails singular
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Etymology
From Old Norse "væla" (to wail), itself from a word meaning "woe" — tracing back to a very old Indo-European exclamation of grief.