BAWLS Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

bawls 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bawl

as in cries

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 shouts

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

bawls

2 of 2

noun

plural of bawl

as in shrieks

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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 bawls

Verb

Willis, who is heterosexual, bawls much like Carl Bean. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawls

Verb

In the other van, Gen cries tears of pride and fulfillment after Aesha and Nathan praise her performance in the last charter.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
On the floor, my brother cries into the carpet, pawing at the ground.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of cries

Noun

At the hospital in Dollow, mothers sat shoulder to shoulder on narrow beds holding frail children, some too weak to cry while others let out soft whimpers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026
Earlier this month, a Gardena police officer responded to a report that there were whimpers and cries coming from a self-compacting trash can outside a church.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026

Definition of whimpers

Verb

Swiss skier Melanie Meillard weeps in the arms of her teammate Janine Schmitt after missing a turn on her slalom run Women’s Team Combined Slalom.

— Staff Photographer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Cannon weeps into an expansive white space that only she and Trish inhabit.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025

Definition of weeps

Verb

Holmberg jumps in his vehicle and catches up to McConnell as Lafayette County deputy Kenneth Lewie holds McConnell at gunpoint and yells at him to get on the ground.

— Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2026
Things escalate as the two share a car ride home from a fancy gala and the bad man yells at her for embarrassing him.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of yells

Verb

My public screening was awash — nearly literally — with sniffles and sobs.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
The dramatic clip finds Reid and a male love interest performing an armed robbery at a convenience store before enjoying a romance and running from the cops — who ultimately cuff the man in the end, as the Missing star sobs in fear.

— Jack Irvin, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026

Definition of sobs

Browse Nearby Words

bawl out

bawls

bawls out

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Style

“Bawls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawls. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bawls

verb

noun

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