wail

verb

1. (intransitive)To cry out, as in sorrow or anguish.
2. (intransitive)To weep, lament persistently or bitterly.
3. (intransitive)To make a noise like mourning or crying.

   “The wind wailed and the rain streamed down.”

4. (transitive)To lament; to bewail; to grieve over.

   “to wail one's death”

   “My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes”

5. (slang)To perform with great liveliness and force.

   “Another outstanding surfer from Hawaii - Fred Hemmings. Fred only stands up on alternate Wednesdays, but when he does, he really wails.”

   “At Boston's Roseland, as "the Count's band was wailing," he grabbed Mamie, an avid dancer. The "band was screaming when she kicked off her shoes and got barefooted”

   “The band was really wailing as we quickly made our dance moves in a most provocative manner.”

   “We had a nondenominational wedding, with a bunch of great Sufi musicians really wailing, and my wildly enthusiastic mother in attendance.”

6. (obsolete)Synonym of wale (“to choose; to select”).

   “Wailed wine and metes”

noun

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

   “She let out a loud, doleful wail.”

2. Any similar sound as of lamentation; a howl.

   “The wail of snow-dark winter winds.”

   “A bird's wail in the night.”

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

name

1. A locality in the Rural City of Horsham, western Victoria, Australia.