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
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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
Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
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
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
Traumatized doesn’t begin to describe Emily’s reaction as Shawkat slowly starts bawling in disbelief.
—Sarene Leeds, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2024
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
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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Randall cries, rushing to discover Bernie collapsed on the floor in the next room.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
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Bruce is crate-trained, goes in willingly at bedtime and doesn’t bark or cry.—
Trish Stinger,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2025
Verb
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And then my dad and Karen got there, and my mom got out and yelled at them and just was very angry with my dad.—
Ruth Chenetz,
CBS News,
31 May 2025
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Those who yelled due to burnout felt guilty or worse afterward.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Listen to this article LONDON (AP) — A 53-year-old British man plowed a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans who were celebrating the city’s Premier League championship Monday, injuring more than 45 people as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror.—
Brian Melley,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
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Many, very many, fell down as men slain in battle, and continued for hours together in an apparently breathless and motionless state—sometimes for a few moments reviving, and exhibiting symptoms of life by a deep groan or piercing shriek, or by a prayer for mercy most fervently uttered.—
Richard D. Mahoney,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Elliotte smiled wide for the camera, and Bennett was pictured sobbing.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
19 May 2025
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Inside the cathedral, Amalia Cruzado, 52, silently sobbed in the pews, her arms outstretched.—
Caitlin Stephen Hu,
CNN Money,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Shoppers drag pushcarts through dozens of fruit and vegetable stalls as vendors shout prices on loop, in a rhythm.—
Lily Radziemski,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
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Passengers allegedly held onto the ride’s safety bars and shouted for help as many reported feeling dizzy, dehydrated, and increasingly panicked as the minutes turned into hours.—
Moná Thomas,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
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Roxy doesn't take her eyes from the screen, and when Aishah turns the camera to show what's happening in the movie, Roxy can be heard making a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
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Inside the fence, the atmosphere was oddly peaceful, and sometimes so quiet that the loudest noise was the whine of an overhead drone.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
6 May 2025
Verb
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As was written a long time ago, there is a time for war and a time for peace, a time to weep and a time to laugh.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 May 2025
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By the end, moviegoers were weeping and swatting at each other trying to get video of Mescal, who was also tearing up.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Heard screamed and dropped to the ground with the knife beside him.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
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After 'tremendous commotion,' Cassie screamed, 'Isn't anybody seeing this?' Some of the most compelling testimony has come from former Combs former personal assistant, George Kaplan.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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