blubbering 1 of 3

adjective

as in crying

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

blubbering

2 of 3

noun

as in weeping

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

blubbering

3 of 3

verb

present participle of blubber
as in sobbing
to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress the poor child was blubbering because he had fallen and skinned his knee

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 blubbering
Verb
The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge. — Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025 Wanting to make Lambert more than some blubbering wreck, Cartwright emphasized her common sense. — Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blubbering
  1. crying
  2. weeping
  3. sobbing
  4. wailing
  5. whimpering
  6. sentimental
  7. whining
  8. mawkish
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of crying
Noun
  • The latter was the leader of a failed uprising against the ruling Elizabeth 1, and the weeping stag was often used as a symbol adopted by the Earl’s supporters.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 9 July 2026
  • Kimiya was closest, sprawled across the floor weeping, debris swirling around her.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of weeping
Verb
  • Amber is then seen in bodycam footage sobbing as she is told by police that somebody in the house was dead.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
  • The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of sobbing
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    — Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Definition of wailing
Noun
  • After the particularly disturbing Game 3 loss, when the Avs lost for only the second time in 76 playoff games when leading by three goals, Colorado resorted to whimpering.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
  • How to Watch North Carolina at Syracuse Bill Belichick’s first season as North Carolina head coach is winding to a whimpering close, but an ACC win over Syracuse under the Friday Night Lights would sure turn some frowns upside down at Chapel Hill.
    — Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Definition of whimpering
Adjective
  • Camilla also regularly wears pieces from the late Queen Elizabeth II’s collection, including brooches, tiaras and other sentimental pieces.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 15 July 2026
  • Kate also wore the bracelet to Wimbledon in early July and to a visit to Evelina London Children’s Hospital—no doubt the most sentimental addition to her bracelet stack.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 13 July 2026
Definition of sentimental
Noun
  • At low speeds through the town of Imola and villages beyond it, the most prominent sound is the whining of the rear differential.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 18 May 2026
  • That broader perspective may explain why Hamlin’s criticisms rarely sound like post-race whining.
    — Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Definition of whining
Adjective
  • Its direction is stodgy and unimpressive, and its screenplay stilted and mawkish.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 July 2026
  • The sounds are chintzy and soaked in reverb, like a mawkish ’80s ballad rewritten from memory, and the whole thing slowly falls apart and fades out like an old track by the Field.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026
Definition of mawkish

Browse Nearby Words

blubbered
blubbering
blubbers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blubbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blubbering. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on blubbering

Nglish: Translation of blubbering for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All