1
as in sobbing
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
2
as in shouting
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
as in crying
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bawling
Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
For sure, John would be bawling.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Viewers immediately started bawling at the thought.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
For sure, John would be bawling.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawling
Verb
-
Inside, hundreds of people huddled together, crying.—
Rick Jervis,
USA Today,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Several dozen students gathered under half-staff flags — some crying quietly, others clutching flowers.—
Hanna Kang,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Punishment, through criticizing or shouting at you to diminish your sense of agency and self-worth.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The floor of the House of Representatives erupted into shouting on Wednesday as Republican Representative Lauren Boebert asked for a prayer in honor of Turning Point USA co-founder and CEO Charlie Kirk.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The camera cuts between Dennis, who’s sobbing, and Roman, who’s horrified, processing Dennis’ betrayal.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Multiple videos show kids sobbing over losing their brain rot character.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In video shared by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum this week, Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, stands outside Netanyahu’s house with other hostage families, yelling in anguish.—
Abeer Salman,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Sam is seen yelling at someone else who’s not there — most likely a hallucination of his late brother Luke (Patrick Schwarzenegger).—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Safdie embraced Johnson and his co-star Emily Blunt during the ovation, weeping alongside him.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
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
-
His children can be heard screaming and crying in the video.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Dudes who can’t get in get into screaming matches with Jah at the door, and the party extends out into the street where neighbors start peeking out their windows and standing on their porches shaking their heads.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The pair is seen crawling through a wildflower field, dancing, and jumping, but also hollering at each other, brandishing knives, and at some point, Lawrence licks a window with zeal.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Even Seth Rogen, a surprise guest, was cheering and hollering while holding a camera throughout the ovation and snapping photos the entire time.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawling. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share