MEANING
1. Produce a low, prolonged sound from pain, distress, or effort.
2. Complain, especially in a way considered tiresome.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- moan softly
- wind moans
On the page
The wind moaned through the damaged vent.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- moan
- Past tense
- moaned
- Past participle
- moaned
- Present participle
- moaning
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- moan
- Present continuous
- am/is/are moaning
- Present perfect
- have/has moaned
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been moaning
- Past
- moaned
- Past continuous
- was/were moaning
- Past perfect
- had moaned
- Past perfect continuous
- had been moaning
- Future
- will moan
- Future continuous
- will be moaning
- Future perfect
- will have moaned
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been moaning
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: moan; moans; moaned; moaned; moaning 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: moans.
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