brayed

Verb (1)

bray (third-person singular simple present brays, present participle braying, simple past and past participle brayed)

1. (intransitive) Of an animal (now chiefly of animals related to the ass or donkey, and the camel): to make its cry.
   • Whenever I walked by, that donkey brayed at me.

   Synonyms:

   blore, hee-haw

2. (broadly, intransitive) To make a harsh, discordant sound like a donkey's bray.
   • He threw back his head and brayed with laughter.
3. (transitive) To make or utter (a shout, sound, etc.) discordantly, loudly, or in a harsh and grating manner.
   • [N]ow ſtorming furie roſe, / And clamour ſuch as heard in Heav'n till now / Was never, Arms on Armour claſhing bray'd / Horrible discord, and the madding Wheeles / Of brazen Chariots rag'd; [...]1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...

Verb (2)

bray (third-person singular simple present brays, present participle braying, simple past and past participle brayed)

1. (archaic, transitive) To crush or pound, especially using a pestle and mortar.
   • Though thou ſhouldeſt bray a fool in a morter among wheate with a peſtell, yet will not his fooliſhneſſe depart from him.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 27:22
2. (UK, Yorkshire, broadly, transitive) To hit (someone or something).
   • If anything he brayed him all the harder – the old family bull recognising his fighting days were close to over.2011, Sarah Hall, “Butcher’s Perfume”, in The Beautiful Indifference, London: Faber and Faber, →ISBN, page 25

See all 18 meanings of bray