Synonyms of sob

sob 1 of 2

verb

ˈsäb 

as in to cry

to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress

the child sobbed when she found the dead frog

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cry
• weep
• scream
• bawl
• grieve
• blub
• blubber
• whimper
• whine
• mourn
• groan
• lament
• sniffle
• moan
• sigh
• howl
• wail
• squall
• greet
• snivel
• mewl
• keen
• bleat
• yowl
• pule

sob

2 of 2

noun

as in tears

Related Words

• tears
• cry
• groan
• wail
• lamentation
• weeping
• moan
• howl
• suffering
• mourning
• lament
• plaint
• keen
• regret
• sorrowing
• grieving
• protest
• sorrow
• outcry
• agonizing
• grief
• anguish
• hand-wringing
• heartbreak
• woe
• heartache
• complaint
• cri de coeur
• dolor

Dissimilar Words

• rejoicing
• exultation
• smiling
• laughing
• cheering

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sob

Verb

Minutes before he was sentenced Monday to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Caleb Flynn sobbed as his in-laws read letters written by his two daughters, asking him heartbreaking questions about their mother’s death. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2026

Moaning, sobbing, pleading, the woman grasps the hand of her daughter, Ema (Mercedes Morán). — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026

Noun

Ramzan imagined her sobs echoing inside the ladies’ room of Goldman Sachs, there on the thirty-second floor of a glass-and-steel tower. — Literary Hub, 4 May 2026

One juror burst into loud sobs after a detective displayed three plastic pots that had held Jimmy‘s remains. — Amy Driscoll, Miami Herald, 3 May 2026