1
: lamentation, complaint
… made a great moan if he had to work …—D. H. Lawrence
2
: a low prolonged sound of pain or of grief
a moan of distress
moaned; moaning; moans
1
: to bewail audibly : lament
moaning the loss
2
: to utter with moans
"My stomach hurts," she moaned.
2
a
: to make a moan : groan
injured patients moaning
b
: to emit a sound resembling a moan
The wind moaned in the trees.
Cite this Entry
“Moan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moan. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
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