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
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2025
For sure, John would be bawling.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for bawl
Verb
The kid just broke down and bawled.
—Noun
Instead, similar to other animals, newborn babies produce a heartbreaking (and ear-piercing) bawl.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl
Verb
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The 45-year-old's work at the CBS Evening News desk was even criticized by fellow TV personality Megyn Kelly, who relentlessly mocked Dokoupil for crying during a CBS News Miami clip that saw him being interviewed by a local broadcaster and subsequently crying over memories of his childhood.—
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Jane and Darlene have both cried on the runway recently.—
Verb
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People would rather yell at pundits on television than reach for their reading glasses.—
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Just a few days earlier in California, a house that had been decorated with lights celebrating Chanukah was riddled with bullets, with the assailant having been heard to yell anti-Jewish epithets.—
Noun
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The children’s play area was my favorite spot during the years when my own children were small, filling it with shrieks and laughter.—
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The shrieks of revelers on boats, canoes, and dinner cruises mingle and come up to me like a chorused taunt.—
Verb
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However, the Hunger Games alum began sobbing once again after sharing a story about a comment that got lost in translation on the film's Canadian set.—
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Advertisement One veteran, Matty Roberts visibly sobs.—
Verb
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Davis stood up and shouted at referee Jeffrey Anderson.—
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The post even shouted out Moore, who was absent.—
Noun
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These are no longer the days of whine and turned-up noses.—
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Deciphering the vocalizations involves both sound and context, as a dog’s bark or whine may be tied to its situation, Zhu said.—
Verb
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Artemis then returned to the slain Orion and wept over him for hours and hours.—
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On Friday, relatives wept over the bodies of a 16-year-old girl and her two nephews who were killed in their tent in southern Gaza.—
Verb
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Hearing the Creature screaming his name, Victor turns back.—
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For all the talk about home-field advantage and the Bears needing their fans to scream 20 percent louder and be 30 percent drunker than usual, past precedent shows that won’t matter much.—
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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