Word
Definition
v. to make a long, deep sound because you are in pain, unhappy, or annoyed. You might do this when you hear a bad joke or have to do a difficult task.
v. to utter a deep, inarticulate sound expressive of pain, grief, or disapproval. Often used to describe a physical reaction to discomfort or a metaphorical reaction to an unwelcome situation.
Examples
“He let out a loud groan when the alarm went off.”
“The audience began to groan as the comedian told another terrible pun.”
“The old wooden floorboards would groan under the weight of anyone walking through the hallway at night, echoing through the silent house.”
Examples
simple
“He let out a loud groan when the alarm went off.”
contextual
“The audience began to groan as the comedian told another terrible pun.”
complex
“The old wooden floorboards would groan under the weight of anyone walking through the hallway at night, echoing through the silent house.”
Usage
Intransitive; often followed by 'at' or 'with' to indicate the cause of the sound.
Pitfall
He groaned a loud sound
He let out a loud groan
When used as a verb, groan is intransitive and does not take a direct object like 'sound'; use it as a noun with 'let out' or 'give' instead.
Real-World Examples
“Indeed, in this final he only performed a single axel, to groans from the crowd.” “The camel makes loud, hee-hawing groans like a donkey while it tries to kick or to knee its captors.” Etymology
From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic grainōn, from Proto-Germanic grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”). Cognate with Scots grain (“to cry, scream”), Dutch grijnen, grienen (“to cry; sob; blubber”), German Low German grienen (“to whimper; mewl”), German greinen (“to whine; whimper”), Swedish grina (“to howl; weep; laugh”). The noun is from Middle English gron, grone, from the verb.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/groan
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0