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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Verb
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
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
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At one point during the hearing, Richards pleaded for a tissue and began crying while recalling a particularly abusive event in May.—
Tracy Wright , Christina Dugan Ramirez , Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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But where words fail, crying speaks.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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People would rather yell at pundits on television than reach for their reading glasses.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Just a few days earlier in California, a house that had been decorated with lights celebrating Chanukah was riddled with bullets, with the assailant having been heard to yell anti-Jewish epithets.—
Rabbi Steve Roth,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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After the shrieks stop, the clip shows the substantial crack Denny left behind.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, the Hunger Games alum began sobbing once again after sharing a story about a comment that got lost in translation on the film's Canadian set.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
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Advertisement One veteran, Matty Roberts visibly sobs.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Davis stood up and shouted at referee Jeffrey Anderson.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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The post even shouted out Moore, who was absent.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
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Or that, even worse, it would be arbitrarily divided into episodes in order to inflate the view count and/or pander to short attention spans (Eywa wept).—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
7 Nov. 2025
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Watch Lawrence weep through her interview in the clip above.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Chuck and Jim loved the sounds of spaghetti westerns, an influence instantly recognizable in the war-cry screaming sound that permeates his score.—
Bear McCreary,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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Left to die, breathless and alone, Invisigal chokes while Robert screams from the other end of the comms.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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