keens 1 of 2

noun

plural of keen
as in wails
a crying out in grief the loud keens of the widows were heard throughout the war-ravaged city

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

keens

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of keen
1
as in complains
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely victims of the disaster have been keening for weeks about the slowness of governmental aid

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in howls
to make a long loud mournful sound mourners keening for the victims of the bombing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keens
  1. wails
  2. complains
  3. howls
  4. tears
  5. screams
  6. groans
  7. moans
  8. cries
Noun
  • No wet plop of a SpongeBob ice cream bar crashing onto hot asphalt; a child’s apocalyptic wails ensuing.
    — Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Memory tends to lose sound quickly, but even years later, Jake’s mother’s wails play with the same staccatos and double chords.
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of wails
Verb
  • Most of the time, Mark just flails, complains, and pouts like a giant baby, and Affleck’s twitchy, rapid-fire delivery can’t give the character any life or depth.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • China is demanding the US ease export bans on high-tech goods, like chipmaking gear; the US bitterly complains about Chinese overproduction and transhipment.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of complains
Verb
  • The sharp howls after a patient traveling from abroad presented with a full-term fetal demise?
    — Caroline Cherston, STAT, 25 Aug. 2026
  • At night, the coyote howls echo through the development keeping residents awake.
    — N. Kirkpatrick, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of howls
Noun
  • One of us would be chosen to recite the poem onstage—a kitsch performance, no doubt, so that an auditorium of adults would be moved to tears.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The first days of testimony brought tears from witnesses, spectators and jurors, the 9th Street Journal reported.
    — Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of tears
Verb
  • Set the scene The Homestead screams quirky, artful, and vintage yet restored—capturing a whimsical, fairytale ambiance embellished with hints of Southern charm.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The issue, of course, stems from the sound of rider screams from the coaster drifting into the residential area.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of screams
Noun
  • That brought groans from a commission where the complaints about the marketing plan outnumbered the defenses.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The good-natured hope from the fanbase dissolved into problematic groans as KC finished 69-93.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of groans
Verb
  • Sam makes a production out of teasing them, mock-reaching for various items on the set as the whole group moans and wails in distress.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Endo is the sixth choice midfielder and someone who never moans about his place in the pecking order.
    — James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of moans
Noun
  • Her friend’s cries mixed with the sound of police car sirens before officers arrived and escorted students and staff out the building.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
  • When news got around that a new movie version of Sense and Sensibility was in the works, cries of dismay rang forth from Bath to Brooklyn.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cries
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

keenness
keens
keep
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Cite this Entry

“Keens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keens. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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