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DictionarywailLoud mournful cry
noun / verb

wail

WAYL/weɪl/

A loud, prolonged cry of distress or a similar expressive sound.

The young woman wails beside the fresh grave while another woman supports her.

A young woman kneels beside a freshly filled grave, crying with her mouth wide open and tears streaming, while an older woman steadies her shoulder.
Etymology
wailOld Norseto lament

The ancestor meaning “to lament” was itself formed from væ, “woe.” Wailing thus turns an expression of distress into an action: giving grief or pain an audible, mournful voice.

In context

The Wisdom Vault110:38
Thou shalt wail full of pain and all hapless
The Sibylline Oracles - The Secret Prophecies of the Ancient World | Lost Books

More examples

  • The baby wails until someone picks her up.
  • The distant wail of a siren breaks the silence.
  • An electric guitar is wailing through the final chorus.

Forms

wail · wails · wailed · wailing

Similar words

moan
Usually a lower, quieter sound of pain or discomfort.
howl
Suggests a long, loud cry resembling a wolf's call.
lament
Expresses grief through words or music, not necessarily loud crying.