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Prepositions after verbs

Moan about, at, in, to or from?

Moan is most commonly used with about for complaints. Other prepositions change the meaning depending on direction, listener, or cause.

Quick answer

Which prepositions are used with moan?

Use moan about for complaints and moan at or moan to for the person hearing the complaint. Moan from can describe a source of pain or emotion. Moan in is usually part of a separate phrase of place or manner.

He keeps moaning about the weather.
She moaned at the waiter.
The patient moaned from severe pain.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
moan about + problem

Complaining about something

Use about for the subject of a complaint.

They moaned about the delays all day.
She is always moaning about her workload.
2
moan at + person

Directing complaints toward someone

Use at when complaints sound critical or angry.

He moaned at his staff again.
She moaned at the receptionist.
3
moan to + listener

Telling someone your complaints

Use to for the person who listens to the complaint.

I moaned to my brother about work.
They moaned to their friends for hours.
4
moan from + cause

Expressing pain or suffering

Use from to describe the source of pain, illness, or emotion.

The injured player moaned from pain.
She moaned from exhaustion.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
moan about
People are moaning about rising prices.
Standard pattern for complaining about a topic.
moan at
He moaned at the children for making noise.
Complaints directed angrily toward someone.
moan in
She moaned in pain.
In introduces a state or manner, not a fixed verb pattern.
moan to
I need someone to moan to after work.
Names the listener receiving the complaint.
moan from
The patient moaned from discomfort.
Shows the cause of pain or suffering.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using at for the topic

Use about for the thing being complained about.

✕ They moaned at the long queue. ✓ They moaned about the long queue.

Confusing at and to

At sounds more aggressive, while to focuses on the listener.

✓ She moaned to her friend about the problem.

Treating in as a fixed partner

In usually describes condition or manner.

✓ He moaned in pain.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She kept moaning ___ the traffic.
2. He moaned ___ the waiter after the mistake.
3. The child was moaning ___ pain.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between moan at and moan to?

Moan at sounds critical or angry toward someone, while moan to simply identifies the listener.

Can I say moan in pain?

Yes. Here in belongs to the phrase in pain, not to a fixed verb-preposition combination.

Is moan about informal?

It is common in everyday English for complaining about problems or annoyances.

magnify, by, magnify, in "maintain by" or "maintain in"? make by, in, for, of or to? "manage by" or "manage to"? manifest in, by, as, into or on? manipulate by, in, for, with or into? mar by, with, at, for or as? march in, to, on, into or through? "mark by" or "mark with"? "market in" or "market to"? "marry to" or "marry in"? masquerade as, under, at or Like?

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