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to bray

to bray

2 7.1
To make the loud harsh cry of a donkey
  • verb
  • /breɪ/
translation icon : rebuznar
  • One of them brayed, a harsh noise that sawed through the stillness of the morning, bouncing echoes from the yellowed buildings.
  • donkeys bray
  • mules bray
  • camels bray

Examples

  • His eyes lit up, he laid back his ears, and, braying wildly, plunged into the fray.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The donkey brayed loudly, echoing across the quiet countryside.

  • But a donkey brayed under her window, so she opened her eyes.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The mules started to bray wildly.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Our chickens began squawking in their coops and our camels were braying.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The mules brayed in terror and the high-pitched whinnies of the horses screeched on the wind like a thousand hawks in full cry.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • As we approached the farm, we could hear the donkey braying in the barn.

  • When the children fed the donkey, it brayed with excitement.

Synonyms

to hee-haw
vsto bray
9.3

To make a loud, harsh braying sound like a donkey

frames the act as the characteristic noise of the animal
heehaw
vsto bray
7.9

A loud harsh sound that a donkey makes

describes the action of producing that sound rather than naming it

Antonyms

231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

64 5.8

To make a sound or feeling quieter so it is less noticeable

How Loud

to roar
98 1.0
to bellow
39 4.7
to bray
2 7.1
to bleat
5 6.0
to chirp
34 1.0

Surface Forms

bray infinitive
brayed past
brayed past participle
braying present participle
brays third person singular

Etymology

Bray as a verb comes from the same sound imitation and the Old French braire meaning 'to bray', so to bray is to make that loud, harsh donkey sound.