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
Relevance
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
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.
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
-
My children cried themselves to sleep.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Most of us are socialized not just to suck it up, never to cry or show emotions, but also to suppress, go silent, hide, run away, act as if there is no agony.—
Kevin Powell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Another clip showed two other women yelling loudly behind the two teens, seemingly cheering for the game on the court.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Iker Zuriguel estimates there are some 20,000 to 25,000 people inside the stadium clapping, stomping, and yelling.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Led by blaring ‘80s synthesizers and a pounding beat, the song features a distorted lead vocal from D’Angelo, who accompanies himself on multitracked backing vocals with the occasional soul shriek thrown in for good measure.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
15 Oct. 2025
-
But that doesn’t give a sense of how absorbingly otherworldly the film is, with its wordless beginnings and its shriek of a score from Jonny Greenwood.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sigg fell to the floor, sobbing.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Now instead of celebrating his release, Adel was sobbing.—
Mosab Abu Toha,
New Yorker,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Those who predicted a doomed future for all of humanity called us addicts and criminals, leeches and slime (and way worse things) because we were detested, shouted at, dragged by our arms across bedrooms and public sporting events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
In April, the couple navigated another mid-episode interruption — this time from an audience member who shouted out during an interview with actor Christopher Meloni.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In the second, sexless, glowing people weep and hug in my timeline.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Back home in Lansing, Latavia and the children huddled together and wept.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The wide-leg pants have just the right amount of stretch and come in a trendy brown shade that screams autumnal fashion.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Sundae screamed, and the whole motel heard her.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share