1
as in to cry
to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress
he bawled for days after his dog died
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in to yell
to speak so as to be heard at a distance
the mover was bawling for help as the refrigerator was about to slip out of his hands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bawl
Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
As the weekend’s big game approached, David Singleton could have staged his own super bawl.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022
Mike Combs, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
Realizing her suspicions are now confirmed, and her name is on the wheel a total of 13 times, Irina falls to her knees and bawls her eyes out.
—Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Verb
Instead, similar to other animals, newborn babies produce a heartbreaking (and ear-piercing) bawl.
—Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
As the weekend’s big game approached, David Singleton could have staged his own super bawl.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022
Noun
Then the barking would change again to bawling — the bear was off again.
—Mike Combs, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
Realizing her suspicions are now confirmed, and her name is on the wheel a total of 13 times, Irina falls to her knees and bawls her eyes out.
—Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
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Inside, hundreds of people huddled together, crying.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Several dozen students gathered under half-staff flags — some crying quietly, others clutching flowers.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Daniel yells after jabbing his net into the bank.—
Wesley Bruer,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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As Mamdani was delivering his opening remarks, a man with a shirt that read Cuba and a Cuban flag approached the stage, yelling that Mamdani was a Communist.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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From there, most of the trailer consists of rapid-fire flashes of unsettling imagery, including a man yelling with blood dripping from his mouth, muddy human footsteps on a hardwood floor, blood rinsing down a bathtub drain, and a distressed shriek from Indy.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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After a brief chat with the other players in my group, we are whisked down stairs and along corridors – whose décor is akin to that found in a Scottish castle – passing doors from which come shrieks of denunciation and denial.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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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
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As a flame passed candle to candle, some sobbed as the gathering remembered those who died and marked their loss.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Moments after grabbing Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas around the neck, footage shows Suárez shouting and then spitting in the direction of a Sounders staff member.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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There is a write-in ballot option to shout out your top pick of sandwich maker.—
Endia Fontanez,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 2025
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Moscow’s escalating air war and the distinctive whine of Shaheds is now forcing Ukrainians out of their beds and into shelters and metro stations on an almost-nightly basis.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Safdie embraced Johnson and his co-star Emily Blunt during the ovation, weeping alongside him.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Family matriarch Donna Adelson was scolded by a judge Thursday for weeping in the courtroom after being convicted of orchestrating a 2014 murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a prominent Florida State University law professor.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Witnesses screamed in horror and fled for cover after the bullet struck Kirk in the neck.—
Michael Ruiz , Peter D'Abrosca , Julia Bonavita , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , David Spunt , CB Cotton,
FOXNews.com,
12 Sep. 2025
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Broadcast and cable networks like CNN did show some of the footage, but stopped the images and ran only audio, with the sounds of those in the crowd screaming.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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