(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
If you ~, you make a long, low sound because you are in pain, or because you are upset or unhappy about something.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. As he did so, he began to ~ with pain...
They glanced at the man on the floor, who began to ~...
She was making small ~ing noises.
= moan
VERB: V with n, V, V-ing
•
Groan is also a noun.
She heard him let out a pitiful, muffled ~...
As his ball flew wide, there was a collective ~ from the stands.
= moan
N-COUNT
2.
If you ~ something, you say it in a low, unhappy voice.
‘My leg–I think it’s broken,’ Eric ~ed.
VERB: V with quote
3.
If you ~ about something, you complain about it.
His parents were beginning to ~ about the price of college tuition.
VERB: V about n
•
Groan is also a noun.
Listen sympathetically to your child’s moans and ~s about what she can’t do.
N-COUNT
4.
If wood or something made of wood ~s, it makes a loud sound when it moves.
The timbers ~ and creak and the floorboards shift.
VERB: V
5.
If you say that something such as a table ~s under the weight of food, you are emphasizing that there is a lot of food on it.
The bar counter ~s under the weight of huge plates of the freshest fish.
...a table ~ing with food.
VERB: V under/with n, V-ing emphasis
6.
If you say that someone or something is ~ing under the weight of something, you think there is too much of that thing.
Consumers were ~ing under the weight of high interest rates...
VERB: usu cont, V under n disapproval