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
as in shriek
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
Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
Frieda, now entirely incapable of playing nice, taking big, blatant swipes at her daughters, Shelly grimly staring at the board, and finally, Nancy bawling, and stomping out of the room.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024
Washington Post, 21 July 2021
Distillers bury their faces in their hands and bawl after learning MLB’s winter meetings will go virtual.
—Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2020
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Verb
Traumatized doesn’t begin to describe Emily’s reaction as Shawkat slowly starts bawling in disbelief.
—Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
Frieda, now entirely incapable of playing nice, taking big, blatant swipes at her daughters, Shelly grimly staring at the board, and finally, Nancy bawling, and stomping out of the room.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024
Noun
That night, Faris saw a woman near her bawl and wide-eyed grown-ups run.
—Washington Post, 21 July 2021
Distillers bury their faces in their hands and bawl after learning MLB’s winter meetings will go virtual.
—Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2020
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
-
Kids at school have always cried over the tragic loss of a fellow student, and girls in the audience would weep as a ritual part of Beatlemania.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
10 June 2025
-
Last week, Jane cried throughout her testimony, leaving the witness box in tears after recounting a seemingly never-ending freak-off during what was supposed to be a romantic, one-on-one birthday celebration with Combs in 2023.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
An approach shot on 14 that spun away from the hole left him slamming his club into the fairway, yelling at himself.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
-
Some nearby fans continue to yell at Cousins while others get up and move away from the tense situation.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
But deeper in, percussion livens up under orgiastic shrieks and a cameo on guitar from Adam Granduciel of the War on Drugs.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
3 June 2025
-
As his kids play around him, their playful shrieks blend with the screams and explosions of war.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The viral image splits a photo of Taylor sobbing during a tense dinner party on RHOBH in season 2 with a confused-looking white cat, named Smudge, sitting at a table.—
Sarah Jones,
People.com,
13 June 2025
-
Eventually, while being held and shaken by a sobbing Timothy, Lochlan wakes back up.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
On Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, NASCAR made official what the Ram trucks parked in the fan midway and the Ram show truck rambling about the grounds had already shouted all weekend—unless Stellantis has taken up recreational tailgating.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
-
Demonstrators shout and film at police during a protest in the Paramount section of Los Angeles on June 7 after federal immigration authorities conducted operations.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 June 2025
Noun
-
On my final evening after the game drive, a flute whines and drums thump in the distance.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
23 May 2025
-
Roxy doesn't take her eyes from the screen, and when Aishah turns the camera to show what's happening in the movie, Roxy can be heard making a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
When the cameras cut to the crowd, her fans were weeping for her.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
9 June 2025
-
She was helped to a sitting position squeezed between two weeping men, one of whom was rowing.—
Jim Shepard,
New Yorker,
8 June 2025
Verb
-
Leonardo DiCaprio’s screaming to the top of his lungs.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
-
Throughout their time together, Cozart said Travis Decker would scream in the middle of the night, soak the bed and only get one or two hours of sleep.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share