To groan means to make a long, low sound expressing pain, annoyance, or despair. When you stub your toe hard, you might let out a groan. When your teacher announces a surprise quiz, the whole class might groan together.

A groan comes from deep in your chest and sounds like “uhhhhh” or “ohhhh.” It's usually involuntary, meaning it escapes before you can stop it. You groan when you're disappointed (groaning about having to do chores), when something hurts (groaning while getting up after a hard soccer practice), or when you hear terrible news (groaning when you realize you forgot your homework).

Things can groan too. Old wooden stairs groan under someone's weight. Tree branches groan in strong winds. These sounds remind us of human groans because they're long, low, and a bit mournful.

As a noun, a groan is the sound itself: a long, low noise of pain, annoyance, or despair.

The word can also mean to complain persistently. If your friend keeps groaning about how boring a long car trip is, they're complaining over and over. When something makes you groan, it's usually not terrible enough to make you cry or scream, just frustrating or uncomfortable enough to squeeze that sound out of you.