moan

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /moʊn/ UK /məʊn/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like mon /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/

Meanings

1

verb
to make a long, low sound of pain or complaint

He began to moan softly as the medicine wore off.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to make a long, low sound... groan wail lament whine grumble complain whimper

Opposites

rejoice cheer

Word family

Forms moaningly

Derived forms moanermoaning

Related forms mean bemoan

Etymology

From Middle English mone, probably from an unrecorded Old English *mān, related to mǣnan ('to lament, mean'), of Germanic origin.

*mān Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# moan

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /moʊn/
**IPA (UK):** /məʊn/

## Meanings
1. to make a long, low sound of pain or complaint

## Examples
- He began to moan softly as the medicine wore off.

## Synonyms
- groan
- wail
- lament
- whine
- grumble
- complain
- whimper

## Antonyms
- rejoice
- cheer

## Derived Forms
- moaner
- moaning

## Related Forms
- mean
- bemoan

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *mān

## Etymology
From Middle English mone, probably from an unrecorded Old English *mān, related to mǣnan ('to lament, mean'), of Germanic origin.

## AI Etymology
Moan is from Middle English mone, probably from an unrecorded Old English *mān, related to mǣnan ('to lament, mean'), of Germanic origin. Important recorded forms include *mān (Old English). Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers to make a long, low sound of pain or complaint. The wider family includes derived forms such as moaner and moaning and related words such as mean and bemoan.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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