Library / English Dictionary

GROAN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An utterance expressing pain or disapproval

Synonyms:

groan; moan

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("groan" is a kind of...):

utterance; vocalization (the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication)

Derivation:

groan (indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure

Example:

The ancient door soughed when opened

Synonyms:

groan; moan

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "groan" is one way to...):

emit; let loose; let out; utter (express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence examples:

You can hear animals groan in the meadows

The meadows groan with animals

Derivation:

groan (an utterance expressing pain or disapproval)

groaner (a person who groans)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Johnston, the old archer, was struck upon the temple and fell dead without a groan, while fifteen of his bowmen and six of the men-at-arms were struck down at the same moment.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Now when he thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his anxiety, he groaned and said to his wife: What is to become of us?

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

"The good and dear people always do die," groaned Jo, but she stopped crying, for her friend's words cheered her up in spite of her own doubts and fears.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

That would have been enough for me, that one glimpse of it, and the sound of the night wind sighing and groaning among the branches.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Challenger sat down upon the cut stump and groaned his impatience; but Summerlee and I were of one mind that Lord John was our leader when such practical details were in question.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

If you've ever groaned, "Oh, my aching back!", you are not alone.

(Back Pain, NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

"Yes," answered the tin man, "I did. I've been groaning for more than a year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me."

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

The dog came bounding back, and seeing his master in a predicament, and hearing the horse groan, barked till the evening hills echoed the sound, which was deep in proportion to his magnitude.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I had unchained an enemy among them whose joy it was to shed their blood and to revel in their groans.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Henry groaned as he passed from sleep to waking, and demanded, "What's wrong now?"

(White Fang, by Jack London)