1
as in sobbing
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 shouting
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 crying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bawling
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
For sure, John would be bawling.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Viewers immediately started bawling at the thought.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
For sure, John would be bawling.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawling
Verb
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That mood that was most certainly shared by the audience members experiencing a wide array of emotions (from dancing to crying) thanks to the combination of excitement and nostalgia.—
Josh Chesler,
AZCentral.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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In front of reporters, the agent grabbed the crying woman by the arms before shoving her to the wall and then downward.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Better to spend your time shouting out the writing that makes your heart sing.—
Maris Kreizman
September 25,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
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Posts by the group to social media appear to show TSU students shouting at its members, filming them and following along as campus police escorted them off campus.—
Rachel Wegner,
Nashville Tennessean,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Viewer Reactions The Instagram video reached over 598,000 views and 28,685 likes as of Tuesday, with viewers sobbing over Whiskey's heartbreaking reaction.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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Smollett, who is gay and Black, claimed that two men had attacked him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs outside of his apartment building in Chicago.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
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Cutting off other vehicles and honking out of anger is up from 2016, while tailgating and yelling at other drivers is down, according to AAA.—
Natalie Davies,
Freep.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Safdie embraced Johnson and his co-star Emily Blunt during the ovation, weeping alongside him.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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The podcasting duo immediately lost it and began screaming in delight.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
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And Coraline was crying and shaking her head, her mind screaming, JOY, JOY, JOY, and Else’s eyes were rolled back into her head, deep in her dark pink fantasy world of keys and locks.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
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Even Seth Rogen, a surprise guest, was cheering and hollering while holding a camera throughout the ovation and snapping photos the entire time.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawling. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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