as in crying
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in groaning
to utter a moan
he moaned and cried for days after his dog, his only companion, died
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
their son moaned whenever anyone asked him to do some work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 moaning
Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 13 Dec. 2025
There’s something moaning in the background.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
The deputies ultimately roll him over before putting on handcuffs as Mull can be heard moaning in pain.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The recognizable munchies didn't stop the cast members from moaning, groaning and throwing up as usual.
—Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
In one of the videos, she's seen rinsing her eye in a hospital sink, while moaning from the discomfort.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
But a male voice could be heard moaning in the background.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.
—Matt Slater, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 13 Dec. 2025
There’s something moaning in the background.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
The deputies ultimately roll him over before putting on handcuffs as Mull can be heard moaning in pain.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025
The recognizable munchies didn't stop the cast members from moaning, groaning and throwing up as usual.
—Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
In one of the videos, she's seen rinsing her eye in a hospital sink, while moaning from the discomfort.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2025
Julia says, dropping to all fours and moaning amid a pile of straw on the floor.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for moaning
Adjective
-
But his crying scene in Ford v Ferrari is one for the ages.—
Michael Granberry,
Dallas News,
17 Jan. 2020
Verb
-
And knitting meant clumsily looping a strand of acrylic yarn onto the tip of a bamboo needle, groaning, then handing the project to my mother for help.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
No amount of jazz playlists can stop him from glancing at his GPS, groaning as the ETA keeps getting pushed back.—
Connor Letourneau,
San Francisco Chronicle,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Elsewhere, Super Mario Galaxy is hardly complaining about coming in second ruling the roost for weeks, since it’s now focused on becoming the first film of the year to join the billion-dollar club after finishing Sunday with a global total of $871 million.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The dog-waste donnybrook was similar to another recent clash in Brooklyn that saw a 75-year-old grandmother jumped and beaten for complaining that a dog walker was not cleaning up the pooch’s poop.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Either that, or the Daily Mail editors had a howling good time with publication dates.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
-
In the elk- and deer-rich areas of northern Yellowstone National Park, ravens are often among the first scavengers to arrive on the scene, swooping down to feast on scraps left behind by the howling canines.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The dispatcher then asked who the woman was sobbing in the background.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Robert Wanner, the slain mother’s husband, arrived at the Granite Bay home with Carlie and found Ashley sobbing, strapped into a high chair with an unfinished supply of dry Cheerios in front of her.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Richter’s grand slam Tuesday against Tinley Park ended with plenty of screaming and high-fives at home plate.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Any passengers not knocked out during the chaos or sucked out into the sky are generally screaming and grabbing for oxygen masks while Captain Rich makes a futile announcement about the importance of not panicking.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Alex Cora was clearly unhappy towards the end.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
There were thousands of unhappy Stagecoach festivalgoers on Saturday night, as the approximately 75,000-80,000 guests were forced to evacuate due to high winds.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Seattle families deal with this all the time, and the city is packed with indoor options that will keep your crew happy — no need to endure whining.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 Apr. 2026
-
On the other end, the Rockets were a complete mess, dissolving in two whining technical fouls in the third quarter that sealed their fate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Moaning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/moaning. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
