sob

1 of 3

verb

ˈsäb 

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

SOB

3 of 3

noun (2)

ˌes-ˌō-ˈbē 

plural SOBs or SOB's

informal + impolite

: 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

Synonyms of sob

Verb

• cry
• weep

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

Kelly, typically a non-demonstrative engineer, retreated to the airplane bathroom and sobbed. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Gartshore, who pleaded not guilty, sobbed after the verdict was read, BBC News reported. — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

Noun

The quiet sob at the gate when the flight is canceled. — Christopher Elliott, USA Today, 12 June 2026

Dinah was making a sound somewhere between a sob and a grizzle. — Stephen King, The Atlantic, 15 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing sob

• sob sister
• sob story

Rhymes for sob

• blob
• bob
• cob
• daub
• fob
• glob
• gob
• hob
• job
• knob
• lob
• mob

Kids Definition

sob

1 of 2 verb

ˈsäb 

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