Groan

/ɡɹəʊn/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
  2. 2
    an utterance expressing pain or disapproval wordnet
  3. 3
    A low, guttural sound uttered in frustration, disapproval, or ecstasy.
  4. 4
    A low creaking sound from applied pressure or weight.
Verb
  1. 1
    To make a groan.

    "We groaned at his awful jokes."

  2. 2
    indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure wordnet
  3. 3
    To seemingly creak under the strain of being heavily laden. figuratively

    "That night the table in the outer dining room was just groaning with good things."

  4. 4
    To strive after earnestly, as if with groans. obsolete

    "Nothing but holy, pure, and clear, / Or that which groaneth to be so."

Synonyms

All synonyms
moanair a grievancealasbawlbeefbeefing

Example

More examples

"I am tired of hearing you moan and groan."

Etymology

From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic *grainōn, from Proto-Germanic *grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”). Cognate with Scots grain (“to cry, scream”), Dutch grijnen, grienen (“to cry; sob; blubber”), German Low German grienen (“to whimper; mewl”), German greinen (“to whine; whimper”), Swedish grina (“to howl; weep; laugh”). The noun is from Middle English gron, grone, from the verb.

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