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
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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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bawl
Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
As the weekend’s big game approached, David Singleton could have staged his own super bawl.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022
Mike Combs, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
Realizing her suspicions are now confirmed, and her name is on the wheel a total of 13 times, Irina falls to her knees and bawls her eyes out.
—Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Verb
Instead, similar to other animals, newborn babies produce a heartbreaking (and ear-piercing) bawl.
—Jeremy Engle, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
As the weekend’s big game approached, David Singleton could have staged his own super bawl.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022
Noun
Then the barking would change again to bawling — the bear was off again.
—Mike Combs, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2025
Realizing her suspicions are now confirmed, and her name is on the wheel a total of 13 times, Irina falls to her knees and bawls her eyes out.
—Joelle Goldstein, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
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Inside, hundreds of people huddled together, crying.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
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Several dozen students gathered under half-staff flags — some crying quietly, others clutching flowers.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens yells down field against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Kylie then filmed herself running through the house, yelling at everyone inside about the prank.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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From there, most of the trailer consists of rapid-fire flashes of unsettling imagery, including a man yelling with blood dripping from his mouth, muddy human footsteps on a hardwood floor, blood rinsing down a bathtub drain, and a distressed shriek from Indy.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
23 Aug. 2025
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After a brief chat with the other players in my group, we are whisked down stairs and along corridors – whose décor is akin to that found in a Scottish castle – passing doors from which come shrieks of denunciation and denial.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At one point during the celebrations, Bronze sat on the pitch, put her hand over her mouth and sobbed.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
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As a flame passed candle to candle, some sobbed as the gathering remembered those who died and marked their loss.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Herzl shouted him down and insisted on political plurality.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
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Law enforcement officers with their guns drawn walk up a driveway at the intersection and shout several times for someone who is not visible in the video to drop the gun.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 2025
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Moscow’s escalating air war and the distinctive whine of Shaheds is now forcing Ukrainians out of their beds and into shelters and metro stations on an almost-nightly basis.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Safdie embraced Johnson and his co-star Emily Blunt during the ovation, weeping alongside him.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Family matriarch Donna Adelson was scolded by a judge Thursday for weeping in the courtroom after being convicted of orchestrating a 2014 murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a prominent Florida State University law professor.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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You are caught by surprise by the car door opening, and scream and bury your teeth in the arm of the cop trying to bring you home, scrapping all the harder for being caught unawares.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
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The group chanted, sang and screamed at a group of agents in military fatigues and masks who walked back and forth on the building’s roof.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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