1
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
2
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
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
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
-
Chan and Acosta beat Tay for more than seven minutes while Tay cried and begged for help and then forced Tay to drink rubbing alcohol and sealed his mouth with duct tape, authorities have said.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Her family cried nonstop and eventually decided to leave for the north near the Caspian Sea.—
Amin Khodadadi,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
By now, the standard sound of rage rap — redlining drums deployed with abandon, frenetic, almost spastic chord arrangements, and often shouted, mantra-like lyrics delivered in an impassioned scream — has become a predictable shorthand for overtures to a younger audience.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Before and after the vote, people in the hearing room shouted at lawmakers and warned of the harm the bill could do.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Elena sobbed when her parents told her that the nanny wouldn’t be taking care of her anymore.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Standing over the memorial that has grown to take up the length of a building, a man in a The North Face jacket sobbed quietly.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cooper’s big brother yelled excitedly when first responders arrived at the Vetta Sports Soccerdome in Webster Groves.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
-
At one point, Sumrall yelled at Florida’s punters.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Some relatives of victims wept as the verdicts were read.—
Jeff Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Skip to content Both loyalists and dissidents wept over the death of Ayatollah Khamenei.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Plenty of kids screamed and threw up heart signs in the crowd as Ejae, Nuna, and Ami hit the chorus’ high note.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Coach Travis Steele screamed at the officials at halftime, knocking over a speaker on his way off the court and picking up a technical foul.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bawled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawled. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
