as in cries
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sobs
Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Later that day, Jamison sobs in bed while her mom and dad worry about her chances of getting into Stanford if she's reported to the police.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
Cassie, who doesn’t seem very concerned about Nate, sobs on the floor in disbelief, covered in blood and shocked that someone could disrupt what should be the perfect end to her evening.
—Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
The glow of hundreds of candles illuminated somber faces, sobs often cutting through the silence in the crisp spring air.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
The recording of the call is harrowing and gut-wrenching as Denise Lee sobs and begs for her life.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
There are a few inarticulate screams and sobs but no dialogue, no lyrics, no spoken intro, no utterances at all.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
The series ends as Eddie goes into Jamie's bedroom, sobs into the comforter and holds his teddy bear.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Or when one of their sons, after rifling through Dad’s joke folder, quietly sobs at what he’s found.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
Her endless screams and sobs echo back to the agonized wailing of The Mist’s David Drayton, who murdered his child and friends for nothing.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Later that day, Jamison sobs in bed while her mom and dad worry about her chances of getting into Stanford if she's reported to the police.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
Cassie, who doesn’t seem very concerned about Nate, sobs on the floor in disbelief, covered in blood and shocked that someone could disrupt what should be the perfect end to her evening.
—Zoe Papelis, Vulture, 27 Apr. 2026
The glow of hundreds of candles illuminated somber faces, sobs often cutting through the silence in the crisp spring air.
—Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
The recording of the call is harrowing and gut-wrenching as Denise Lee sobs and begs for her life.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
There are a few inarticulate screams and sobs but no dialogue, no lyrics, no spoken intro, no utterances at all.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Feb. 2026
The series ends as Eddie goes into Jamie's bedroom, sobs into the comforter and holds his teddy bear.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Or when one of their sons, after rifling through Dad’s joke folder, quietly sobs at what he’s found.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sobs
Verb
-
Kelli cries over how solid the Mwangi unit is, praising Gerald as a father and husband and affirming that Shamea’s ass is real, while everyone else looks on, bewildered.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
8 June 2026
-
Jennifer Brook cries her own tears for her husband.—
Dawn White,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Korda gasped, covered her mouth, waved to the crowd and wiped away tears.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
Just over an hour into opening statements into the vessel homicide and manslaughter trial of George Pino, who crashed his boat into a Biscayne Bay channel marker almost four years ago, killing a teenage girl, the Doral real estate broker broke down in tears.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
8 June 2026
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
Noun
-
Her remarks were met with groans, loud exhaling and other audible exasperation from a court gallery filled with victims and their families.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
-
The crowd responded with groans after the move, which did damage to both men.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sobs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sobs. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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