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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Viewer Reactions The Instagram video reached over 598,000 views and 28,685 likes as of Tuesday, with viewers sobbing over Whiskey's heartbreaking reaction. Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025 At one point during the celebrations, Bronze sat on the pitch, put her hand over her mouth and sobbed. Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
At home, Benjamin — whose parents call him Ben — would sit by the pantry where his family stored snacks and sob. Wendy Grossman Kantor, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025 Conrad, who is ready to leave to head back to California, overhears her sobs. Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Noun
To date, has any actor paralleled Mescal’s uncanny skill for unrequited longing, sidelong glances, and heaving sobs? Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2025 The capacity crowd responded to the emotional gut punch of a film at both ends of the spectrum, first with sobs and tears while the frames hit the screen followed by the longest standing ovation the fest has seen this year after credits rolled. Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sob

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sob. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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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