Meaning of wail in English | Powered by Free Dictionary API

noun

• A prolonged cry, usually high-pitched, especially as of grief or anguish.

  Example: She let out a loud, doleful wail.

• Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.

  Example: A bird's wail in the night.

• A sound made by emergency vehicle sirens, contrasted with "yelp" which is higher-pitched and faster.

verb

• To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.

• To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.

• To make a noise like mourning or crying.

  Example: The wind wailed and the rain streamed down.

• To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.

  Example: to wail one's death

• To perform with great liveliness and force.

verb

• To strike the skin in such a way as to produce a wale or welt.

• To give a surface a texture of wales or welts.

verb

• To choose, select.