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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shriek
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bawl
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
This is crazy, and the world’s gonna hate me, [just] bawling my eyes out.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 24 July 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
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
This is crazy, and the world’s gonna hate me, [just] bawling my eyes out.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 24 July 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
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Constant observation of these events on your social media can create a massive shock to the nervous system and a sense of disintegration and fragmentation, coupled with intense emotions such as crying, shallow breathing or lashing out.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
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One family has a sick child who could be heard crying in the background during a call between Herischi and Panamanian officials.—
Yong Xiong, Michael Rios, CNN and Ivonne Valdés,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Hedges will yell from the Guardians’ dugout if a catcher mishandles a pitch, poking fun at his manager, Stephen Vogt, a former catcher known more for his offense than defense.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
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Now in Season 3, another family patriarch on the verge of ruin – this time, financial – also gets yelled at on a phone call, and the person on the other end of the line is another surprise voice cameo by an Academy Award-winning supporting actor.—
Dan Heching,
CNN,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Upon opening the haircare tools — which retail at about $600 — the room filled with shrieks of happiness.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
23 Dec. 2024
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As Hollis releases her son’s hand and backs into the kitchen, Richard shrieks at Pino.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Some in the crowd sobbed as organizers played excerpts from Nasrallah's speeches.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
23 Feb. 2025
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Danielle literally falls to the ground, sobbing and hyperventilating.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Fans in their team jerseys waved flags, shouted for their countrymen and continued the ritual booing of the opposing national anthem that has become an nightly undercard for a tournament that was the return of NHL stars to the international scene after missing the last two Winter Olympics.—
Jimmy Golen,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2025
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There’s plenty such wordplay in The Safe House, to the point that the movie can seem like a caricature of overeducated, perpetually growling Parisians shouting for social change, but too self-centered and comfortable in their bourgeois lifestyles to do anything drastic about it.—
Jordan Mintzer,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Fritz revved the engine, a desperate, needling whine, and the vessel lurched down the airstrip, the chute billowing awake behind him.—
Nick Paumgarten,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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Families fall asleep to the thump of nearby airstrikes and the constant whine of an Israeli drone overhead.—
Raf Sanchez,
NBC News,
25 Dec. 2024
Verb
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From an organic design marvel in Washington that would make Frank Lloyd Wright weep to a California cabañita in the trees, there are so many places to enjoy the great outdoors in an abundance of comfort.—
Rachel Fletcher,
Architectural Digest,
22 Feb. 2025
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Their adult children wept on the witness stand and spoke of their devastation.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA TODAY,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Preston Turano, a veterinarian and spokesperson at Felix Cat Insurance, told Newsweek that yelling, screaming, and physical punishment should never be used when training or communicating with your cat.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
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Moments after an emphatic two-handed jam in the closing seconds that sealed Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s 68-61 upset of Harvard-Westlake on Friday night in Studio City, Tyran Stokes clenched both fists, turned toward his teammates and screamed at the top of his lungs.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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