groan

groan — 動詞

  • groanpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • groanshe / she / it
  • groanedpast simple
  • groaning-ing form

1. to push out a low, drawn-out sound from your throat because you feel hurt, tired

1.動詞不及物B1
釋義

呻吟

因痛苦或疲累發出低沉聲音

to push out a low, drawn-out sound from your throat because you feel hurt, tired, or unhappy

例句

Omar groaned as the nurse pressed gently on his swollen ankle.

當護士輕壓 Omar 腫起的腳踝時，他忍不住呻吟了一聲。

groan + as-clause showing the trigger

Lien groaned in pain after lifting the heavy box of textbooks.

Lien 搬完那箱沉重的教科書後，痛得直呻吟。

collocation: groan in pain

同義詞
  • moan

    very similar; moan is slightly longer and softer, often more emotional than physical

  • grunt

    shorter, harder sound; usually from effort rather than pain

  • whimper

    higher-pitched, weaker; suggests fear or distress more than pain

文法句型

groan (in/with pain)

用法筆記

Often paired with prepositional phrases of cause (in pain, with effort, from tiredness) or with an as/when clause naming the trigger.

常見錯誤

❌She groaned the heavy suitcase upstairs.
✅She groaned as she carried the heavy suitcase upstairs.
💡the sense is intransitive; you cannot put a direct object after it.

2. to say something in a low, unhappy voice to show that you find a situation annoy

2.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

抱怨

以低沉口氣對某事表示不滿

to say something in a low, unhappy voice to show that you find a situation annoying or boring

例句

Stephanie groaned that the meeting had already gone on for two hours.

Stephanie 抱怨會議已經開了整整兩個小時。

groan + that-clause for spoken complaint

Drivers always groan about the traffic on the bridge during rush hour.

每到上下班尖峰時間，駕駛總會抱怨橋上的車陣。

groan about + noun phrase

同義詞
  • complain

    neutral and more general; lacks the audible-noise feel of 'groan'

  • grumble

    very close; suggests muttered, ongoing complaint under one's breath

  • moan

    British informal; almost interchangeable, often used about trivial complaints

反義詞
  • praise
  • applaud

    approve enthusiastically; opposite reaction in a public setting

文法句型

groan about something

groan that + clause

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense reports speech content (often introduced by 'about' or a that-clause), while sense 1 names a non-verbal sound only.

3. (of a surface, building, or system) to be loaded with so much of something that

3.動詞不及物C1
釋義

堆滿；擺滿

東西多到桌子或架子幾乎承受不住

(of a surface, building, or system) to be loaded with so much of something that it seems almost unable to hold it — used as a vivid way of saying the amount is huge

例句

The buffet table at the wedding groaned with platters of dumplings and roast duck.

婚禮的自助餐桌上堆滿了一盤盤的水餃和烤鴨。

groan with + plural noun showing abundance

Tendai's bookshelves groaned with science fiction novels collected over thirty years.

Tendai 三十年來收藏的科幻小說，把書架塞得滿滿的。

同義詞
  • overflow

    more literal; suggests visible spilling, while 'groan with' is figurative

  • be laden with

    near-synonym; slightly more formal and less vivid

反義詞
  • be bare

    completely empty; opposite end of the abundance scale

文法句型

groan with something

be groaning under something

用法筆記

Subject is typically a physical container or surface (table, shelf, market, warehouse). The 'with' phrase names what overfills it; without 'with' the sense collapses into sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌My stomach groaned with food.
✅The table groaned with food.
💡the subject must be the place holding the items, not the person consuming them.

4. to be barely able to keep working or going because a heavy burden — such as debt

4.動詞不及物C1
釋義

不堪重負

因負擔過重而難以維持運作

to be barely able to keep working or going because a heavy burden — such as debt, demand, or pressure — is weighing the system or person down

例句

Small farms in the valley are groaning under high fuel costs this season.

山谷裡的小農場這一季正苦撐著高昂的燃料成本。

groan under + abstract burden

The hospital groaned under the weight of new patients during the winter outbreak.

冬季疫情爆發時，醫院在大批新病患的壓力下幾乎無法負荷。

groan under the weight of + noun

同義詞
  • struggle

    neutral; lacks the image of crushing weight

  • buckle

    stronger; suggests the system is close to collapse

  • be overwhelmed

    describes the result; 'groan under' emphasises the ongoing strain

反義詞
  • thrive

    do very well despite or without burden; the opposite outcome

文法句型

groan under something

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 describes abundance (often positive or neutral); this sense describes hardship caused by excess demand or weight. The preposition shifts from 'with' to 'under'.

常見錯誤

❌The company groans of high taxes.
✅The company is groaning under high taxes.
💡use 'under', not 'of', for the burden.

groan — 名詞