Definition

Verb: - To utter a loud, prolonged, and high-pitched cry of distress, pain, or protest. It is often used to describe the intense, wavering cry of a young child or an animal.

Usage

The verb "wawl" describes the act of making a loud, high-pitched, and often grating cry. It is typically used in literary or descriptive contexts. - The infant began to wawl from hunger. - Outside the window, a cat would wawl every night.

Advanced Usage

• "to wawl out": To cry out loudly and plaintively.
  • The lost puppy wawled out into the empty street.

Variants and Related Words

• Wail (verb): A more common synonym with the same core meaning of a prolonged, high-pitched cry of sorrow or pain.
  • The mourners began to wail.

Synonyms

• Howl
• Bawl
• Yowl
• Scream (in the context of a long, loud cry)

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Wail out: Similar to "wawl out," meaning to emit a long, loud, mournful cry.
  • The sirens wailed out across the city.

Verb

1. make high-pitched, whiney noises