blubbering 1 of 3

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

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blubbering

2 of 3

adjective

blubbering

3 of 3

noun

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
Noun
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
Verb
  • In a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Van Dyke recalled crying when the Sherman Brothers first played the now-iconic songs for him.
    Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
  • At one point during the hearing, Richards pleaded for a tissue and began crying while recalling a particularly abusive event in May.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez , Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Last year, Silverio received a call through his organization’s 24/7 hotline from a weeping mother who had gone to a fire station to surrender her baby and found the station empty.
    Alana Semuels, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
  • As church members left the multiplex theater reunification site, some rushed to family and friends waiting outside, hugging and weeping.
    Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In a video testimony, the man, whose name was not released, is seen falling to his knees and sobbing.
    Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2025
  • And then as soon as the standing ovation started, I was started sobbing again.
    Alex Ritman, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
  • And since then, his crying and whining have increased.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
  • As seen and heard this week at the SEC spring meetings, the whining over that has not ceased.
    Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • This custom matchbox is a thoughtful gift that’s both sentimental and practical.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Glamour, 13 Oct. 2025
  • For generations past, photo albums were the best way to keep memories organized, safe, and ready for sentimental viewing.
    Architectural Digest, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • After a mawkish beginning, the play somewhat redeems itself through earned emotions and an ambiguous ending that begs discussion.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 June 2025
  • Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, jailed and banned frequently, has never allowed his work to get mawkish.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the season’s back half, neither its overloading of vile desecrations nor maudlin sentimentality adds anything that Monster hadn’t already established four episodes ago.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
  • While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Blubbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blubbering. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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