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groaning

English

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groaning

  • /ˈɡɹoʊnɪŋ/ US
  • /ˈɡɹəʊnɪŋ/ UK

Rhymes with (General American) -oʊnɪŋ, (Received Pronunciation) -əʊnɪŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English gronynge (“groaning”), from Old English grānung; equivalent to groan + -ing. Conflated with Middle English gronende, present participle of gronen, from Old English grāniende, present participle of grānian (“to groan”). Analyzable as groan + -ing.

adjective

  1. not comparable That groans.
  2. figuratively, not comparable Heavily laden, as if to creak under the strain. We sat down to a groaning table and feasted all evening.

noun groanings

  1. A low sound associated with extended suffering, sorrow, and toil. From the nearby rail yards came clangings, groanings, chuggings.
  2. abbreviation, ellipsis, obsolete Ellipsis of groaning time (“childbirth, labour”).

verb

  1. gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of groan

Translations

Every language

adj Translations

Españolgemidor, gemebundo
Deutschächzend, stöhnend

noun sound

DeutschÄchzen, Geächze, Gestöhn, Gestöhne, Stöhnen

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Cite this
MLA

"groaning." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/groaning. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

groaning. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/groaning

Chicago

"groaning." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/groaning.

BibTeX
@misc{groaning_2026,
  title = {groaning},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/groaning},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}