MEANING
1. Produce a deep, low sound expressing pain, effort, or exasperation.
2. Make a deep creaking sound under strain, or be heavily burdened.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- groan with effort
- groan in pain
On the page
She groaned with effort as the lid finally moved.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- groan
- Third-person present
- groans
- Past tense
- groaned
- Past participle
- groaned
- Present participle
- groaning
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- groan / groans
- Present continuous
- am/is/are groaning
- Present perfect
- have/has groaned
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been groaning
- Past
- groaned
- Past continuous
- was/were groaning
- Past perfect
- had groaned
- Past perfect continuous
- had been groaning
- Future
- will groan
- Future continuous
- will be groaning
- Future perfect
- will have groaned
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been groaning
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: sensory / description. Forms: groan; groans; groaned; groaned; groaning Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: groans.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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