bellow

verb

bel·​low ˈbe-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce bellow (audio)
bellowed; bellowing; bellows

intransitive verb

1
: to make the loud deep hollow sound characteristic of a bull
2
: to shout in a deep voice

transitive verb

: bawl
bellows the orders
bellow noun

Examples of bellow in a Sentence

He bellowed at her to come over at once. He was bellowing into the phone, giving orders to one of his employees. The sergeant was bellowing orders.
Recent Examples on the Web Steam engines bellowed into town, ringing the bell and tooting the train whistle to alert inhabitants that a new age of travel had arrived. Curtis Varnell, arkansasonline.com, 22 Sep. 2024 Early attempts to replicate the human voice had involved the construction of mechanisms modelled on human anatomy: rubber lips, wooden teeth, bellows for lungs. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024 The president’s bellowing recitation of his accomplishments served as a vivid reminder of the bullet so recently deflected by Nancy Pelosi and her ruthless fellow Democratic Party panjandrums by hustling the would-be nominee into political oblivion. Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 5 Sep. 2024 Rambling, visibly irritated with the occasional fact-checking from ABC News moderators Linsey Davis and David Muir, and bellowing over everyone on and off the mics, the Trump of the second POTUS debate of 2024 was a clone of the off-the-leash Trump of the first POTUS debate of 2020. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bellow 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bellow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English belwen, from Old English bylgian; akin to Old English & Old High German bellan to roar

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bellow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bellow

Cite this Entry

“Bellow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellow. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

bellow

verb
bel·​low ˈbel-ō How to pronounce bellow (audio)
: to make a deep loud roar like that of a bull
bellow noun

Biographical Definition

Bellow

biographical name

Bel·​low ˈbe-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce Bellow (audio)
Saul 1915–2005 American (Canadian-born) writer

More from Merriam-Webster on bellow

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