sob

1 of 3

verb

sobbed; sobbing

intransitive verb

1
a
: to catch the breath audibly in a spasmodic contraction of the throat
b
: to cry or weep with convulsive catching of the breath
2
: to make a sound like that of a sob or sobbing

transitive verb

1
: to bring to a specified state by sobbing
sobbed himself to sleep
2
: to utter with sobs
sobbed out her grief

sob

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
: an act of sobbing
2
: a sound like that of a sob
plural SOBs or SOB's
slang, sometimes offensive
: son of a bitch
He's one arrogant/tough/greedy SOB.
… a guy who brought two dozen roses to a first coffee date and told you he felt like the luckiest SOB on the planet in the first five minutes.Today

Examples of sob in a Sentence

Verb He began to sob uncontrollably. She could not stop sobbing. “I hate you,” she sobbed. Noun (2) I hate that miserable SOB.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The teen slumped in a chair, sobbing, in a Los Angeles Police Department interrogation room. Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024 Any millennial pop-culture enthusiast worth their salt sobbed over the ending of Stepmom (1998), when Susan Sarandon’s dying mother insists on taking a family photo that includes the young stepmother (Julia Roberts) she’s given grief to throughout the movie. Eliza Berman, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
Noun
Every second or so, his entire upper body was racked by a sob. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2024 But then, Park works some magic, because at every screening, from Sundance onward, the audience has been reduced to sobs. Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 7 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sob 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English sobben; akin to Middle Low German sabben to drool

Noun (2)

son of a bitch

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1918, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sob was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sob

Cite this Entry

“Sob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sob. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sob

1 of 2 verb
sobbed; sobbing
1
: to weep especially with short gasping sounds
2
: to bring to a specified state by sobbing
sobbed myself to sleep
3
a
: to make a sound like that of sobbing
the wind sobbed through the trees
b
: to utter with sobs
sobbed out their story

sob

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of sobbing
2
: a sound of or like that of sobbing

Medical Definition

SOB

abbreviation
short of breath

More from Merriam-Webster on sob

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