How to Use moan in a Sentence

moan

1 of 2 noun
  • She let out a long, deep moan.
  • While the pair walked in the hallway, Willis would stare at her breasts and moan, the lawsuit says.
    Dallas News, 1 Nov. 2022
  • Along with these moans, something foamy came out of his mouth.
    Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 21 Dec. 2022
  • And that moment is now: With a metallic moan, the weight inches back down the shaft.
    Cathleen O’Grady, Science | AAAS, 22 Apr. 2021
  • Their sounds—peeps, moans, and donkey-like brays—bounce off the mountains.
    Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 June 2019
  • The 2013 game seemed to take sadistic pleasure in Lara’s injuries and moans of pain.
    Eliana Dockterman, Time, 19 Mar. 2018
  • The doors opened with slow creaking moans, and all the feet that entered turned into knees.
    Silvina Ocampo, The New Yorker, 11 July 2019
  • Suddenly, the moans and screams were drowned out by a new sound overhead.
    Gaia Vince, Quartz, 8 June 2019
  • Of course there were the initial screams and the side-splitting moans, sounds that came from some nameless part of her body.
    Hilary Leichter, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2020
  • On the Volga a man started with valour and ended with a moan, which is called a song.
    The Economist, 21 Dec. 2019
  • As if in acknowledgement of the fact, the rhino lets out a doleful moan.
    Henry Nicholls, Scientific American, 30 May 2012
  • Thanks to the band, no one heard the moans—and everyone but the hapless patient assumed the treatment didn’t hurt a bit.
    Erin Blakemore, Longreads, 19 May 2017
  • In Lyuh’s deft hands, its piercing moan sounded more like a blues guitar than any of those.
    Zoë Madonna, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2019
  • The air grew heavy with anticipation and then, low and deep and melancholy as whale song, came the first moan of a ship’s horn.
    New York Times, 12 May 2022
  • Walking down the streets, locals can hear the moans and sobs of heartbroken mothers.
    Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 21 June 2023
  • From chirps to moans, this vet has your chatty cat’s vocab covered.
    Kelli Bender, PEOPLE.com, 29 Oct. 2019
  • On Friday, a guest was disturbed by moans coming from Miller’s room.
    John Kelly, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2020
  • Males are known to emit a songs of complex melodies, comprised of moans, cries and chirps, and their choruses can last for hours at a time.
    Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, 12 Sep. 2019
  • Yankees fans, despite some moans along the way, are pretty happy with a wild card berth.
    Jeff Jacobs, courant.com, 3 Sep. 2017
  • The victim’s pained moans can be heard in the background as the dispatcher instructs the caller to cover the wound with a clean cloth or T-shirt.
    Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The singer, best known for his work with British post-punk band Bauhaus, helped codify the sound of goth music with his grim moan and melancholy lyrics.
    Randall Robertsstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2019
  • Inside the fenced park, the morning chatter of birds and geese mingled with the low moan of a helicopter overhead.
    Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2021
  • The moans and whispers of the other prisoners had quieted, like the calm before a storm.
    David Canfield, EW.com, 17 Oct. 2019
  • What Happens Live host asks his son, who replies with an affirming moan.
    Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, 25 Nov. 2021
  • When a disc is placed against the duck’s chest, the robot acts out the emotion, unleashing happy chirps or uneasy moans.
    Peter Holley, Washington Post, 20 June 2019
  • Background voices – moans, murmurs, sighs – emerge and recede as if from a dream.
    Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, 9 Oct. 2019
  • And Simon called, imitating the mournful moan of a cow moose.
    Lisa Demer, Alaska Dispatch News, 29 Sep. 2017
  • Six officers trapped in the kitchen tried talking to McCall, but only heard moans.
    Dallas News, 13 Feb. 2020
  • Today marks the unofficial last weekend of summer (cue the moans and groans).
    Alysha Witwicki, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2017
  • Vaughan gives me permission to write, and to turn moans into music.
    John Williams, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2020
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moan

2 of 2 verb
  • The wind moaned in the trees.
  • The wounded soldier moaned in pain.
  • He moaned with pleasure as she rubbed his back.
  • I'm tired of all his moaning and groaning about his salary.
  • We were all moaning about the cold, rainy weather.
  • He's always moaning about his salary.
  • The children were moaning and groaning all morning, but their mother would not let them go outside.
  • Watch a few how-to YouTube videos and learn to cluck and moan.
    Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 2 Jan. 2020
  • The wood gave off a pungent, earthy smell and the wind moaned through the tall oaks and pines.
    Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, 28 Sep. 2018
  • The only sound was the wind moaning through the pine trees.
    David Maurice Smith, Smithsonian, 23 Aug. 2019
  • The boat heaved back and forwards, and the wind moaned outside.
    Laurie Hertzel, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023
  • For a time the man lay on the sidewalk, moaning in pain.
    Allan Brettman, OregonLive.com, 13 Dec. 2017
  • All the while, the crowd moaned and heaved with every shot, save and clearance.
    Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, 28 June 2017
  • Your trick-or-treaters and guests will turn on their heels the minute old Drake starts to moan and scream.
    Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 15 Sep. 2022
  • Bells chimed, whistles shrieked, sirens moaned, planes flew low over the city.
    Stephen Fried, Smithsonian, 2 May 2017
  • Mathews will moan, trudging out to the barn on a rainy day to feed the horses.
    Mary Colurso | McOlurso@al.com, al, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Alyssa was able to swipe open the call and moan into the phone, with her baby by her side.
    Madeleine Marr, miamiherald, 7 May 2018
  • Please do not moan, Dodgers fans, about the unfairness of it all.
    Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2022
  • The human shape moaned again, and that was enough to give Bo his second wind.
    Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 8 July 2018
  • The only people who moan about fame are the people who are in the bubble.
    Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, 25 Oct. 2017
  • The batter didn’t complain, but the Worcester crowd moaned.
    Jimmy Golen, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2023
  • Weird moans and howls come from dark corners, damp sponges and hair nets hung from the ceiling touch his face. . .
    Gillian Brockell, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Oct. 2019
  • The wounded moaned at the water’s edge, and the bodies of the dead moved gently with the tide or were frozen in stillness there on the rocky shelf.
    Washington Post, 4 June 2019
  • Middle-seat passengers will weep and moan; the hump is large and the center seat tall.
    Scott Sturgis, Philly.com, 4 Aug. 2017
  • If the cinnamon pecan roll cake is there, prepare to moan.
    Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, 12 Feb. 2018
  • Of course, critics moaned, Carter would put solar panels on the White House.
    John Kelly, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023
  • The wind moaned and shuddered, an eerie Halloween gale that seemed about three weeks too early.
    Time, 19 Oct. 2017
  • The woman with the broken leg was on the floor of the boat, and Bryan recalled hearing moans every time the vessel hit a wave.
    Caleb Jones, The Seattle Times, 24 July 2018
  • Clubhouse is known for rooms where people swap stock tips, chat sports or even moan like whales.
    Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2021
  • One man moans after an instructor yanks him by the ankles back down the hill.
    USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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