bray

/breɪ/

/breɪ/

Other forms: braying; brayed; brays

When you bray, you make the "hee-haw" sound that a donkey makes. The sound itself is also known as a bray.

A mule or donkey's bray is loud and jarring when compared to the gentle neigh of a pony. If you have a loud, goofy laugh, your friends might describe it as a bray, too. Donkeys bray when they're under stress, and they bray back and forth to each other from separate stalls in a barn. When you argue loudly with your brother, your dad may yell, "I'm tired of hearing you two bray!" The Old French root of bray is braire, "to cry out."

Definitions of bray

1. noun

   the cry of a donkey
   type of:

   cry

   the characteristic utterance of an animal
2. verb

   make a sound characteristic of donkeys
   synonyms: hee-haw

   type of:

   emit, let loose, let out, utter

   express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)
3. verb

   laugh loudly and harshly
   type of:

   express joy, express mirth, laugh

   produce laughter
4. verb

   reduce to small pieces or particles by pounding or abrading
   synonyms: comminute, crunch, grind, mash

   types:

   pulp

   reduce to pulp

   pestle

   grind, mash or pulverize in a mortar

   mill

   grind with a mill

   type of:

   break up, fragment, fragmentise, fragmentize

   break or cause to break into pieces