bawl
1 of 2verb
ˈbȯl 
bawled; bawling; bawls
intransitive verb
1
: to cry out loudly and unrestrainedly
a sergeant bawling at his troops
2
: to cry loudly : wail
He lay on his bed, bawling uncontrollably.
transitive verb
: to cry out at the top of one's voice
"Get out of the car!" she bawled.
bawler noun
bawl
2 of 2noun
: a loud prolonged cry : outcry
… political bawls and bellows about cattle prices … 
Time
Time
Synonyms
Verb
- blub [chiefly British]
- blubber
- cry
- sob
- weep
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb “Get in the car!” he bawled. he bawled for days after his dog died
Recent Examples on the Web Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2022 Deslyn remembers the day with perfect clarity, her teenage son, a senior in high school, bawling in the front seat of the family car, her not understanding what was wrong. Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, 1 Nov. 2019 My dad pulled over on the side of the road bawling in Edmonton. Karen Bliss, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2019 Kanarowski-Peterson said another woman gave her a check for $500 and started bawling. Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2020 In those opening exchanges, Virgil van Dijk was left bawling at his fellow defenders as Salzburg threatened to take the lead on several occasions. John Sinnott, CNN, 10 Dec. 2019 Yet a version of them, bawling and pleading, will remain on the Internet, frozen in time. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2019 Ahmad goes to his mom’s room and finds her on the edge of her bed, hunched over, bawling into hands that are balled into fists. Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 3 Aug. 2019 Whilst the bawling politicians send Britain hurtling towards a no-deal crash-out from Europe at the end of March, the U.K. government is surreptitiously hiring crisis-emergency personnel to handle the unplanned-for chaos. Sarah Mower, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2019 Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022 That night, Faris saw a woman near her bawl and wide-eyed grown-ups run. Washington Post, 21 July 2021 Distillers bury their faces in their hands and bawl after learning MLB’s winter meetings will go virtual. Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2020 Wilkins communicates differently — at a higher rate of notes per minute — peppering you with action before letting his tone disintegrate into a dry bawl. New York Times, 12 Mar. 2020 The new study is just one in a series of recent reports that reveal the centrality of crying to infant survival, and how a baby’s bawl punches through a cluttered acoustic landscape to demand immediate adult attention. Natalie Angier, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2017 See More
Verb
Owner Annie Blake put on waterproof mascara, the better to bawl her eyes out without looking a complete mess. Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2022 Deslyn remembers the day with perfect clarity, her teenage son, a senior in high school, bawling in the front seat of the family car, her not understanding what was wrong. Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, 1 Nov. 2019 My dad pulled over on the side of the road bawling in Edmonton. Karen Bliss, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2019 Kanarowski-Peterson said another woman gave her a check for $500 and started bawling. Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2020 In those opening exchanges, Virgil van Dijk was left bawling at his fellow defenders as Salzburg threatened to take the lead on several occasions. John Sinnott, CNN, 10 Dec. 2019 Yet a version of them, bawling and pleading, will remain on the Internet, frozen in time. Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2019 Ahmad goes to his mom’s room and finds her on the edge of her bed, hunched over, bawling into hands that are balled into fists. Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star, 3 Aug. 2019 Whilst the bawling politicians send Britain hurtling towards a no-deal crash-out from Europe at the end of March, the U.K. government is surreptitiously hiring crisis-emergency personnel to handle the unplanned-for chaos. Sarah Mower, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2019 Noun
As the weekend’s big game approached, David Singleton could have staged his own super bawl. Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022 That night, Faris saw a woman near her bawl and wide-eyed grown-ups run. Washington Post, 21 July 2021 Distillers bury their faces in their hands and bawl after learning MLB’s winter meetings will go virtual. Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Oct. 2020 Wilkins communicates differently — at a higher rate of notes per minute — peppering you with action before letting his tone disintegrate into a dry bawl. New York Times, 12 Mar. 2020 The new study is just one in a series of recent reports that reveal the centrality of crying to infant survival, and how a baby’s bawl punches through a cluttered acoustic landscape to demand immediate adult attention. Natalie Angier, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, to bark, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Icelandic baula to low
Noun
noun derivative of bawl entry 1
First Known Use
Verb
1533, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1566, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing bawl
Kids Definition
bawl 1 of 2
verb
ˈbȯl
bawled; bawling
1
: to shout or cry loudly
… he fairly stumbled down the steps, bawling for his breakfast. Avi, Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Avi, Crispin: The Cross of Lead2
: to weep noisily
bawl
2 of 2noun
: a loud cry
bawl 1 of 2
verb
1
as in to cry
to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress he bawled for days after his dog died Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cry
- sob
- weep
- scream
- blubber
- blub
- grieve
- whine
- groan
- whimper
- greet
- howl
- mourn
- lament
- sigh
- wail
- squall
- moan
- sniffle
- keen
- snivel
- mewl
- yowl
- pule
- bleat
2
as in to yell
to speak so as to be heard at a distance the mover was bawling for help as the refrigerator was about to slip out of his hands Synonyms & Similar Words
- cry
- yell
- shout
- scream
- holler
- call
- roar
- hollo
- thunder
- bellow
- bay
- sound off
- shriek
- halloo
- vociferate
- whoop
- wail
- hallo
- screech
- squeal
- shrill
- howl
- squeak
- crow
- yowl
- yawp
- caterwaul
- hail
- ululate
- speak out
- speak up
- yaup
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- whisper
- murmur
- breathe
- mumble
- mutter
bawl
2 of 2noun
as in shriek
Synonyms & Similar Words
- shriek
- whine
- cry
- crying
- whimper
- howl
- sobbing
- yelp
- yowl
- weeping
- lamentation
- keen
- squall
- whining
- whimpering
- lament
- blubbering
- wail
- plaint
- groan
- sniveling
- moan
- yammering
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- laugh
- chuckle
- giggle
- guffaw
- snicker
- cackle
- titter
- chortle
- snigger
- twitter