BAWLED Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

bawled

verb

past tense of bawl

as in cried

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

as in shouted

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 bawled The baby bawled, the women and girls tiptoed, and at last Lina and the Brown family reached the ground and ran across the street. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026 Both men bawled in a viral clip that brought their accomplishment into full focus. — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2026 Crowds of hundreds with their heads lowered bawled loudly in unison; others fell to the ground and shook in their grief. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026 The kid just broke down and bawled. — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawled

Verb

Several stars, pros, and judges cried during the Dancing With the Stars season 35 premiere.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Interviewees describe hacking little girls’ phones to see when their fathers came home and then bombing their houses, listening while the people on the line screamed and pleaded for help, while mothers cried over their burning daughters.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of cried

Verb

His family members hugged each other and sobbed, but still declined comment after the sentence.

— Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Officers described the videos recorded by that camera, writing that Westman seemed agitated after a visit with family and at times sobbed before driving by the church and school the night before the attack.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of sobbed

Verb

President Lincoln shut himself in a room and wept alone following his burial, eventually taking solace in caring for a grieving Tad.

— Sophie Clausen, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026
Vlasova, who during her years in Russian detention had watched countless times as others were freed and she was left behind, wept.

— Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of wept

Verb

The account provided directly to Fox News offered a more harrowing description of the sudden descent, with the passenger saying people screamed as overhead compartments opened and power aboard the aircraft went out.

— Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Investigators say Sanderson ran off when the girl screamed out for her dad, but prosecutors say the father and daughter pointed out someone else at the park as the attacker.

— Tim McNicholas, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of screamed

Browse Nearby Words

bawl

bawled

bawled out

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawled. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of bawled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perseverate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes