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groan

[grohn]

noun

a low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief: the groans of dying soldiers.

a deep, inarticulate sound uttered in derision, disapproval, desire, etc.

a deep grating or creaking sound due to a sudden or continued overburdening, as with a great weight: We heard the groan of the ropes as the crane lowered the heavy cargo into the ship's hold.

verb (used without object)

to utter a deep, mournful sound expressive of pain or grief.

to make a deep, inarticulate sound expressive of derision, disapproval, desire, etc.

to make a sound resembling a groan; resound harshly: The steps of the old house groaned under my weight.

to be overburdened or overloaded.

to suffer greatly or lamentably: groaning under an intolerable burden.

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Groan is one of our favorite verbs.

So is fletcherise. Does it mean:

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

to run away hurriedly; flee.

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verb (used with object)

to utter or express with groans.

Origin:
before 900; Middle English gronen, Old English grānian; cognate with German greinen to whine

Related forms

groan·er, noun

groan·ing·ly, adverb

un·der·groan, noun

un·groan·ing, adjective

Can be confused: groan, grown (see synonym note at the current entry).

Synonyms
1. Groan, moan refer to sounds indicating deep suffering. A groan is a brief, strong, deep-throated sound emitted involuntarily under pressure of pain or suffering: The wounded man groaned when they lifted him. A moan is a prolonged, more or less continuous, low, inarticulate sound indicative of suffering, either physical or mental: She was moaning after the operation. She did not weep, but moaned softly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To groan

Example Sentences

Westchester's supermarket shelves still groan with the weight of rock-hard taste-free produce.

Legs groan when asked to walk up a flight of stairs.

His critics groan at this, accusing him of running a corrupt one-man state.

EXPAND

Westchester's supermarket shelves still groan with the weight of rock-hard taste-free produce.

Legs groan when asked to walk up a flight of stairs.

His critics groan at this, accusing him of running a corrupt one-man state.

Orcas, sea lions and bald eagles vie for your attention as calving glaciers groan and tumble into turquoise waters.

When people come across this imagine in my book, there is always a groan.

It was an old gag, and so corny it would make you groan.

More and more, they groan when it comes to poetry days.

In cavernous trading rooms, desks buckle and groan under the weight of computer terminals.

At times he paused to imitate the guttural groan of the jaguar.

Some of the jokes and geeky references made us laugh and some made us groan.

Groan at an extreme close-up of a turd leaving the rectum.

I've heard faculty groan about the gre nonsense but no one, it seems, can break free of it.

The magazine racks of bookstores groan with political magazines.

They would clutch each other's mouths and stare, groan a couple of time and then walk away, feeling bored.

And the right wing should get used to hearing them moan and groan about it.

Not only do travel sections in state bookshops groan under.

Private banks groan about yields below the rate of inflation:.

Orcas, sea lions, and bald eagles vie for your attention as calving glaciers groan and tumble into turquoise waters.

And the recordings let you hear the timbers groan and buzz.

Schools already groan under a curriculum that covers everything from anti-racism to maintaining a positive body-image.

IT often begins with a low, unwelcome groan from deep within the stomach.

Sometimes he would step a few feet from the pole and groan at it.

And it turns out he has exactly the right voice for his own words: a groan that's jaded, long-suffering, cranky and shrewd.

Dead or dying, they whimper and groan as they smear the set with blood.

The others groan on cue, but they are hardly blameless.

The bookshelves groan under the weight of information, and everyone therefore considers himself informed.

And when he has at the witch, turned into a dragon, it will make a few adults groan.

These days, residents groan about the heat as they bicycle.

Drawbridges spread their steel wings with a crunching groan.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

groan (ɡrəʊn)

—n
1.	a prolonged stressed dull cry expressive of agony, pain, or disapproval
2.	a loud harsh creaking sound, as of a tree bending in the wind
3.	informal a grumble or complaint, esp a persistent one

—vb
4.	to utter (low inarticulate sounds) expressive of pain, grief, disapproval, etc: they all groaned at Larry's puns
5.	(intr) to make a sound like a groan
6.	(intr, usually foll by beneath or under) to be weighed down (by) or suffer greatly (under): the country groaned under the dictator's rule
7.	informal (intr) to complain or grumble

[Old English grānian; related to Old Norse grīna, Old High German grīnan; see grin]

'groaning

—n, —*adj*

'groaningly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

groan

O.E. granian "to groan, murmur," from P.Gmc. *grain-, of imitative origin, or related to grin (cf. O.N. grenja "to howl").

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Related Words

grown fetch hone

hone moan

Matching Quote

"Home again, I can groan, scratch, and talk to myself."

-Mason Cooley

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