the wail or cry

  • 1wail´er — wail «wayl», verb, noun. –v.i. 1. to cry long and loud because of grief or pain: »The baby wailed. 2. to make a mournful or shrill sound: »The wind wailed around the old house. The sirens were wailing for a total blackout (Graham Greene). 3. to… …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 2wail — [weıl] v [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: From a Scandinavian language] 1.) [T] to say something in a loud, sad, and complaining way ▪ But what shall I do? Bernard wailed. 2.) to cry out with a long high sound, especially because you are very sad or in… …

    Dictionary of contemporary English

  • 3wail — [v] cry loudly bawl, bay, bemoan, bewail, carry on*, complain, cry the blues*, deplore, fuss, grieve, howl, jowl, keen, kick, lament, moan, mourn, repine, sob, squall, ululate, weep, whimper, whine; concepts 77,185 Ant. whimper …

    New thesaurus

  • 4wail — wailer, n. wailingly, adv. /wayl/, v.i. 1. to utter a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high pitched or clear sounding, as in grief or suffering: to wail with pain. 2. to make mournful sounds, as music or the wind. 3. to lament or… …

    Universalium

  • 5cry — /kruy/, v., cried, crying, n., pl. cries. v.i. 1. to utter inarticulate sounds, esp. of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears. 2. to weep; shed tears, with or without sound. 3. to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes fol. by out). 4 …

    Universalium

  • 6wail — /weɪl / (say wayl) verb (i) 1. to utter a prolonged, inarticulate, mournful cry, usually high pitched or clear sounding, as in grief or suffering: the child wailed when he fell over. 2. to sound mournfully, as music, the wind, etc. 3. to lament… …

  • 7wail — I. verb Etymology: Middle English weilen, waylen, perhaps modification (influenced by Middle English weilawei wellaway) of Old Norse væla, vāla to wail; akin to Old Norse vei woe more at woe Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to express… …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 8wail — verb 1 (T) to say something in a loud, sad, and complaining way: “But what shall I do?” Bernard wailed. 2 (I) to cry out with a long, high sound, especially because you are very sad or in pain: weeping and wailing: weeping and wailing with grief… …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 9cry — [krī] vi. cried, crying [ME crien < OFr crier < L quiritare, to wail, shriek (var. of quirritare, to squeal like a pig < * quis, echoic of a squeal); assoc. in ancient folk etym. with L Quirites, Roman citizens (as if meaning “to call… …

    English World dictionary

  • 10cry — vb Cry, weep, wail, keen, whimper, blubber mean to show one s grief, pain, or distress by tears and utterances, usually inarticulate utterances. Cry and weep (the first the homelier, the second the more formal term) are frequently interchanged.… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms