(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
1.
If you ~, you make a low sound, usually because you are unhappy or in pain.
Tony ~ed in his sleep and then turned over on his side...
‘My head, my head,’ he ~ed. ‘I can’t see.’
= groan
VERB: V, V with quote
•
Moan is also a noun.
Suddenly she gave a low, choking ~ and began to tremble violently.
N-COUNT
2.
To ~ means to complain or speak in a way which shows that you are very unhappy.
I used to ~ if I didn’t get at least six hours’ sleep at night.
...~ing about the weather...
Meg ~s, ‘I hated it!’...
The gardener was ~ing that he had another garden to do later that morning.
VERB: V, V prep/adv, V with quote, V that disapproval
3.
A ~ is a complaint. (INFORMAL)
They have been listening to people’s gripes, ~s and praise.
N-COUNT
4.
If you have a ~, you complain about something. (INFORMAL)
You can go see him and have a good old ~.
PHRASE: V inflects
5.
A ~ is a low noise. (LITERARY)
...the occasional ~ of the wind round the corners of the house.
N-COUNT: usu with supp