verb (used without object)
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 mourn bitterly.
4.
Jazz. to perform exceptionally well.
5.
Slang. to express emotion musically or verbally in an exciting, satisfying way.
verb (used with object)
6.
to express deep sorrow for; mourn; lament; bewail: to wail the dead; to wail one's fate.
7.
to express in wailing; cry or say in lamentation: to wail one's grief.
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Wail
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noun
8.
the act of wailing.
9.
a wailing cry, as of grief, pain, or despair.
10.
any similar mournful sound: the wail of an old tune.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English weile (v. and noun), perhaps derivative of Old English weilā(wei) well-away; compare Old English wǣlan to torment, Old Norse wǣla to wail
1300–50; Middle English weile (v. and noun), perhaps derivative of Old English weilā(wei) well-away; compare Old English wǣlan to torment, Old Norse wǣla to wail
Related forms
wail·er, noun
wail·ing·ly, adverb
un·wailed, adjective
un·wail·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To wail
Collins
World English Dictionary
wail (weɪl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | (intr) to utter a prolonged high-pitched cry, as of grief or misery |
| 2. | (intr) to make a sound resembling such a cry: the wind wailed in the trees |
| 3. | (tr) to lament, esp with mournful sounds |
| —n | |
| 4. | a prolonged high-pitched mournful cry or sound |
| [C14: of Scandinavian origin; related to Old Norse vǣla to wail, Old English wā | |
| 'wailer | |
| —n | |
| 'wailful | |
| —adj | |
| 'wailfully | |
| —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
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
wail
early 14c., from O.N. væla "to lament," from væ "woe" (see woe). Of jazz musicians, "to play very well," attested from 1955, Amer.Eng. slang (wailing "excellent" is attested from 1954). The noun is recorded from c.1400.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
wail definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
She sounds an urgent wail that echoes loudly off the empty stoops.
Otherwise the wail of the loons is at risk in the northern wilderness.
And there is the startled jolt of adrenaline in response to the roar of a leopard--or the wail of an alarm.
Wall space is ample for this number of frames, so that the wail of the skied is not heard in the land.
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