Definition of "wail" []

• To grieve or protest loudly and bitterly; lament. See Synonyms at cry. (verb-intransitive)
• To make a prolonged, high-pitched sound suggestive of a cry: The wind wailed through the trees. (verb-intransitive)
• Archaic To lament over; bewail. (verb-transitive)
• A long, loud, high-pitched cry, as of grief or pain. (noun)
• A long, loud, high-pitched sound: the wail of a siren. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Allusions to Antiguan slave trading and the cultural and economic imperialism that have enriched the Bertram clan are made explicit in Patricia Rozema's 1999 film — largely in the opening and the closing credit sequence, which feature African singers in a kind of wail from the sea."
• "Their every impulse, from their very first wail, is to dominate, and by dominating, compel us to become their servants in turn."
• "While it won't exactly match the classic high-pitched wail from the show, the producer says Gordon-Levitt will leave his own vocal stamp on Cobra Commander."