bray

1
[ brey ]
See synonyms for bray on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the loud, harsh cry of a donkey.

  2. any similar loud, harsh sound.

verb (used without object)
  1. to utter a loud and harsh cry, as a donkey.

  2. to make a loud, harsh, disagreeable sound.

verb (used with object)
  1. to utter with a loud, harsh sound, like a donkey.

Origin of bray

1
1250–1300; Middle English brayen<Old French braire to cry out (cognate with Medieval Latin bragīre to neigh) <Celtic; compare Old Irish braigid (he) breaks wind

Words that may be confused with bray

Other definitions for bray (2 of 2)

bray2
[ brey ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to pound or crush fine, as in a mortar.

  2. Printing. to thin (ink) on a slate before placing on the ink plate of a press.

Origin of bray

2
1350–1400; Middle English brayen<Anglo-French bra(i)er,Old French broier<Germanic; see break

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bray in a sentence

  • The heedless chatter of the ladies, the braying laughs of the men-at-arms, were a little chilled.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • I must fain eat and drink; let me at least refrain from braying.

    Paul Patoff | F. Marion Crawford
  • So she ate of it, and like the others ran off into the court braying away.

    Grimms' Fairy Tales | The Brothers Grimm
  • “A metal weight for attachment to the tail of a donkey to keep him from braying,” was the answer.

  • He was a big, raw-boned, hulking fellow from New Hampshire, and his laugh was like the braying of a mule.

    Frank Merriwell's Races | Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for bray (1 of 2)

bray1

/ (breɪ) /


verb
  1. (intr) (of a donkey) to utter its characteristic loud harsh sound; heehaw

  2. (intr) to make a similar sound, as in laughing: he brayed at the joke

  1. (tr) to utter with a loud harsh sound

noun
  1. the loud harsh sound uttered by a donkey

  2. a similar loud cry or uproar: a bray of protest

Origin of bray

1
C13: from Old French braire, probably of Celtic origin

Derived forms of bray

  • brayer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for bray (2 of 2)

bray2

/ (breɪ) /


verb
  1. (tr) to distribute (ink) over printing type or plates

  2. (tr) to pound into a powder, as in a mortar

  1. Northern English dialect to hit or beat (someone or something) hard; bang

Origin of bray

2
C14: from Old French breier of Germanic origin; see break

Derived forms of bray

  • brayer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012