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# wail

«wail» in Mova's school dictionary: **to cry out with a long, loud, high sound because of pain…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (wail, wails, wailed, wailing); noun (a wail, wails)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To wail is to cry out with a long, loud, high sound because of pain, sadness or anger. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#m1)

2) A wail is such a long cry. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#m2)

3) Things like sirens or the wind can also wail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories it shows deep sadness or a baby's crying, or creates spooky sounds (the wind wailing). Phrases: let out a wail, wail with grief, the wail of a siren.

### examples

- The baby began to wail when her toy fell. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x1)
- The siren wailed as the ambulance raced past. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x2)
- The wind wailed around the old house. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x3)
- "It's not fair!" he wailed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x4)
- A long wail came from the forest. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x5)
- The mourners wailed at the funeral. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x6)
- It wailed through the ship, and died away. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/#x7)

### note

Regular verb: wailed, wailing. Homophone: whale (the sea animal). Similar: howl, moan, sob.

### In the corpora

- [For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and wail; for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/JER.105/)
- [Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed, wail for her; take balm for her pain, if so be she may be healed.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/JER.1385/)
- ['Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Wail ye: Woe worth the day!](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/EZK.772/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «wail» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/W/wail/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.