groaning UK /ˈɡɹəʊnɪŋ/US /ˈɡɹoʊnɪŋ/adjective 2noun 2forms 1 adjective2 •That groans. •(figurative) Heavily laden, as if to creak under the strain.We sat down to a groaning table and feasted all evening. noun2 •A low sound associated with extended suffering, sorrow, and toil.From the nearby rail yards came clangings, groanings, chuggings. — 1997 •(no longer used) Ellipsis of groaning time (“childbirth, labour”). formsgroanings
