as in crying
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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
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Recent Examples of blubbering
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
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
Adjective
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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.
Noun
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After Messi and his team's loss to Saudi Arabia in November 2022, the athlete told reporters, per The Mirror, that Mateo left the stadium crying.
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This is not the kid-crying, shoulder-to-shoulder type of resort; outside of newer guests, there are families who have been coming here for years and understand the groove of it all, from toddlers to teenagers.
Verb
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Carter, who returned to her dad's house from seeing a friend shortly after he was killed, can be seen in body cam footage sobbing as she is told by police that somebody in the house was dead.
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His aunt sat at the dining table, sobbing.
Adjective
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And every day, across from them, outside the clinic, about to enter or just leaving, there were women hugging each other and weeping.
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The show manages to stay on the brink — always laughing, never quite weeping — for its entire length.
Noun
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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.
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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.
Adjective
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At its deepest level, this work is fueled by unconditional love—not sentimental or passive love but love as discipline, courage and commitment.
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The Freakier Friday star also reflected on turning 40 in a sentimental Instagram post.
Noun
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At low speeds through the town of Imola and villages beyond it, the most prominent sound is the whining of the rear differential.
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That broader perspective may explain why Hamlin’s criticisms rarely sound like post-race whining.
Adjective
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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.
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The book’s final section, comprising a reunion at a funeral, could have been mawkish but instead is moving … A riveting tale.
Cite this Entry
“Blubbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blubbering. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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