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
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
as in shriek
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 bawl
Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024
Yet when the whistle sounded on the U.S. women’s soccer team’s 1-0 win over Brazil in last Saturday’s gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics, Swanson rushed to Naeher, wrapped both arms around her neck and began to bawl.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Verb
Frieda, now entirely incapable of playing nice, taking big, blatant swipes at her daughters, Shelly grimly staring at the board, and finally, Nancy bawling, and stomping out of the room.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024
Yet when the whistle sounded on the U.S. women’s soccer team’s 1-0 win over Brazil in last Saturday’s gold-medal game at the Paris Olympics, Swanson rushed to Naeher, wrapped both arms around her neck and began to bawl.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
-
Some people may have been scratching their heads when kids started screaming and crying after seeing a pig wearing a crown; With zombie pig men and skeleton archers riding spiders, why would this specific creature elicit such a guttural reaction?—
Issy van der Velde,
Rolling Stone,
9 Apr. 2025
-
This all occurred inside the funeral home, and White said he was filled with emotions, laughing and crying at the same time over his brother.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Electronics aside, yelling, heckling and the use of profanity are also direct violations of gallery etiquette and could result in removal from the event.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Rourke then yelled a homophobic slur after asking some of the castmates about Siwa.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The music rises calmly, until a machine groans and a siren shrieks.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2025
-
The air was filled with the shrieks of men in agony, the crackle of machine gun fire, and the thunderous explosions that shook the ground.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN,
7 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
What could have been a coronation for McIlroy along the back nine turned into a heart-racing, lead-changing, jaw-dropping finish at golf’s greatest theater that ended with McIlroy sobbing with joy and disbelief.—
Time,
Time,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Devastated by the carnage around him and the heart-wrenching duty of telling his quasi-stepson, Jake (Taj Speights), that his girlfriend (Sloan Mannino) died in the shooting, Robby sank to the floor of the pediatrics room, sobbing and whispering the Shema prayer to himself.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Others recalled him having stand-up rows, shouting, swearing, and jabbing his finger in the direction of co-workers.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2025
-
By the time the chorus rolled around, the commuters were in full voice, shouting along (and filming the whole thing for posterity), as Fallon banged on a tambourine.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The motor produces a whine that is noticeable but not distracting.—
William Roberson,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Israel Hernandez heard the faint whine of sirens outside his Wilmington apartment and looked up just in time to see a minivan crash into another vehicle as police gave chase.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
As the Huskies wept and danced and held each other on the court Sunday, Ducharme kept imagining how much Zittoun would have loved being part of the celebration.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Victoria The triumphant expression on her face as Piper weeps at breakfast: just sensational.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Polley’s Polley ends up (understandably) screaming in frustration when Matt pratfalls his way into the shot, a tantrum the indie director could hardly relate to as someone known for facilitating calm, peaceful productions on intimate character studies.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Players leaping and bouncing off each other, sprinting to the side of the floor to scream at elated supporters, falling into their coaches’ arms for long embraces as the confetti fell.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share