/ grəʊn; NAmE groʊn/ verb , noun
■ verb
1.
groan (at / with sth) to make a long deep sound because you are annoyed, upset or in pain, or with pleasure
SYN moan :
[ v ]
to groan with pain / pleasure
He lay on the floor groaning.
We all groaned at his terrible jokes.
They were all moaning and groaning (= complaining) about the amount of work they had.
[ v speech ]
'It's a complete mess!' she groaned.
2.
[ v ] to make a sound like a person groaning
SYN moan :
The trees creaked and groaned in the wind.
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IDIOMS
- groan under the weight of sth
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PHRASAL VERBS
- groan with sth
■ noun
a long deep sound made when sb/sth groans
SYN moan :
She let out a groan of dismay.
He fell to the floor with a groan.
The house was filled with the cello's dismal squeaks and groans.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English grānian , of Germanic origin; related to German greinen grizzle, whine, grinsen grin, also probably to grin .