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
Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
My mother and sister were bawling their eyes out, burrowed against me.
—Joseph Earl Thomas, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 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
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
My mother and sister were bawling their eyes out, burrowed against me.
—Joseph Earl Thomas, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
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Colman recalled crying on the set of the BBC's TV adaptation of Les Misérables after a scene in which her character hits a child.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
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In episode 3, which came out in April, Howard’s character cries when Seth Rogen’s studio head character gives him a difficult piece of feedback, resulting in Howard angrily throwing his signature baseball cap at him.—
Brian Anthony Hernandez,
PEOPLE,
6 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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The camera cuts between Dennis, who’s sobbing, and Roman, who’s horrified, processing Dennis’ betrayal.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Multiple videos show kids sobbing over losing their brain rot character.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 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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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
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One, there's not a lot of moisture weeping out onto your pie crust.—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Deputies arrived to the sound of screaming and found the 16-year-old Elijah Quintero on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Curtis Pleasant remembers wading through the water, chest deep, screaming and searching.—
Suzette Hackney,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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