Meanings
wail1
present singular third person wails · participle present wailing · participle past wailed · past wailed
- intransitiveTo weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
Synonyms: burst into tears, beweep, burst into tears, cry, cry one's eyes out, greet, shed a tear, shed tears
- transitiveTo lament; to bewail; to grieve over.
to wail one's death
1 more example
My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act 3, scene 2]Synonyms: lament, mourn, afterthink, becry, begrieve, bemoan, bemourn, bewail
- slangentertainmentTo perform with great liveliness and force.
The band was really wailing as we quickly made our dance moves in a most provocative manner.
2012, Robert Lewis Barrett, A Portrait of the First Born As a Child, page 3773 more examples
Another outstanding surfer from Hawaii - Fred Hemmings. Fred only stands up on alternate Wednesdays, but when he does, he really wails.
1966, Bruce Brown, director, The Endless SummerAt Boston's Roseland, as "the Count's band was wailing," he grabbed Mamie, an avid dancer. The "band was screaming when she kicked off her shoes and got barefooted
1999, Lewis A. Erenberg, Swingin' the Dream: Big Band Jazz and the Rebirth of American Culture, page 111We had a nondenominational wedding, with a bunch of great Sufi musicians really wailing, and my wildly enthusiastic mother in attendance.
2013, Joan Silber, Fools, →ISBN
plural wails
- Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.
A bird's wail in the night.
1 more example
The wail of snow-dark winter winds.
- A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.
wail2
present singular third person wails · participle present wailing · participle past wailed · past wailed
Wail3
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
verbTo lament; to bewail; to grieve over.
verbSynonym of wale (“to choose; to select”).
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
wail · verb, noun
- Proto-Indo-European*wáy
- Proto-Germanic*wai
- Old Norsevæla“to wail”
- Middle Englishweilen
- Englishwail
c. 1300, Middle English weilen, waylen (“to sob, cry, wail”), from Old Norse væla (“to wail”), from væ, vei (“woe”), from Proto-Germanic *wai (whence also Old English wā (“woe”) (English woe)), from Proto-Indo-European *wáy. The verb is first attested in the intransitive sense; the transitive sense developed in mid-14ᵗʰ c.. The noun came from the verb.
More words from Middle English, Old Norse, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →wail · verb
- Old Norseval“choice”
- Englishwail
From Old Norse val (“choice”). Compare Icelandic velja (“to choose”). More at wale.
More words from Old Norse
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek γοάω, ὀδύρομαι
- γοάω (goáō)to cry out
- ὀδύρομαι (odúromai)to weep, lament
Bulgarian стена, ридая
- стена (stena)to cry out
- ридая (ridaja)to weep, lament
- оплаквам (oplakvam)to weep, lament
- ридая (ridaja)to make a sound like crying
- вия (vija)to make a sound like crying
- оплаквам (oplakvam)to grieve over
- вопъл (vopăl)loud cry or shriek
- стон (ston)loud cry or shriek
- вой (voj)emergency vehicle siren
Catalan plànyer-se, gemegar
- plànyer-seto cry out
- gemegarto cry out
- plorarto weep, lament
- lamentar-seto weep, lament
- gemecloud cry or shriek
Chinese Cantonese 哀泣
- 哀泣 (oi¹ jap¹)to weep, lament
Chinese Mandarin 嚎啕, 號啕 /号啕
- 嚎啕 (háotáo)to cry out
- 號啕 /号啕 (háotáo)to cry out
- 號哭 /号哭 (háokū)to cry out
- 啼哭 (tíkū)to cry out
- 哀泣 (āiqì)to weep, lament
Czech výt, oplakávat
- výtto make a sound like crying
- oplakávatto grieve over
Danish hyle, jamre
- hyleto cry out
- jamreto cry out
- jamreto weep, lament
- klageto weep, lament
- hylloud cry or shriek
- jammerloud cry or shriek
- klageråbloud cry or shriek
Dutch schreeuw, kreet
- schreeuwloud cry or shriek
- kreetloud cry or shriek
Esperanto vekrio
- vekrioloud cry or shriek
Finnish ulista, itkeä
- ulistato cry out
- itkeäto cry out
- ulistato weep, lament
- itkeäto weep, lament
- ulvoato make a sound like crying
- ulistato make a sound like crying
- valittaato make a sound like crying
- ulinaloud cry or shriek
French gémir, se lamenter
- gémirto cry out
- se lamenterto weep, lament
- vagirto weep, lament
- gémissementloud cry or shriek
- plainteloud cry or shriek
German jammern, heulen
- jammernto cry out
- heulento cry out
- heulento weep, lament
- wehklagento weep, lament
- heulento make a sound like crying
- klagento grieve over
- wehklagento grieve over
- beweinento grieve over
- jaulento perform with great liveliness and force (slang)
- Schreiloud cry or shriek
- Schmerzensschreiloud cry or shriek
- Klagelautloud cry or shriek
- Wehklagenloud cry or shriek
- Kreischenloud cry or shriek
- Heulena long drawn out howl
- Jaulena long drawn out howl
- Schreia long drawn out howl
- Geschreia long drawn out howl
- Kreischena long drawn out howl
- Heulenemergency vehicle siren
Hungarian jajgat, jajveszékel
- jajgatto cry out
- jajveszékelto cry out
- sírto weep, lament
- siránkozikto weep, lament
- süvítto make a sound like crying
- gyászolto grieve over
- siratto grieve over
- keseregto grieve over
- fájlalto grieve over
Icelandic æpa
- æpaloud cry or shriek
Italian piangere, lamentarsi
- piangereto cry out
- lamentarsito cry out
- lamentarsito weep, lament
- gemereto weep, lament
- piagnucolareto weep, lament
- gemereto make a sound like crying
- lamentarsito make a sound like crying
- ululareto make a sound like crying
- urloloud cry or shriek
- gemitoloud cry or shriek
- lamentoloud cry or shriek
- suono di sirenaemergency vehicle siren
Japanese 泣き声, うなり
- 泣き声 (nakigoe)loud cry or shriek
- うなり (unari)loud cry or shriek
Latin vagio
- vagioto cry out
Latvian vaimana
- vaimanaloud cry or shriek
Māori whakapū, whakapū
- whakapūto make a sound like crying
- whakapūa long drawn out howl
Norwegian jamre
- jamreto cry out
Persian زاری کردن, ضجه زدن
- زاری کردن (zâri kardan)to cry out
- ضجه زدن (zajje zadan)to cry out
- گریه و زاری کردن (gerye-o-zâri kardan)to weep, lament
- ویله (veyle)loud cry or shriek
Polish zawodzić, kwilić
- zawodzićto cry out
- kwilićto cry out
- bekloud cry or shriek
Portuguese gemido
- gemidoloud cry or shriek
Russian вопи́ть, выть
- вопи́ть (vopítʹ)to cry out
- выть (vytʹ)to weep, lament
- вопи́ть (vopítʹ)to weep, lament
- стена́ть (stenátʹ)to weep, lament
- причита́ть (pričitátʹ)to weep, lament
- выть (vytʹ)to make a sound like crying
- вой (voj)loud cry or shriek
- вопль (voplʹ)loud cry or shriek
- вытьё (vytʹjó)loud cry or shriek
- стена́ния (stenánija)loud cry or shriek
Spanish llorar, lamentar
- llorarto cry out
- lamentarto cry out
- llantearto cry out
- soltar vagidosto cry out
- llorarto weep, lament
- gemirto make a sound like crying
- gemidoloud cry or shriek
Swedish waila
- wailato perform with great liveliness and force (slang)
Turkish mızmızlanmak
- mızmızlanmakto weep, lament
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wail
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
wail. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wail
“wail.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wail. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wail,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wail.
Source: wail on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.