bellow

verb

bel·​low ˈbe-(ˌ)lō 

bellowed; bellowing; bellows

intransitive verb

1

: to make the loud deep hollow sound characteristic of a bull

2

: to shout in a deep voice

transitive verb

: bawl

bellows the orders

bellow noun

Synonyms

• boom
• growl
• roar
• thunder

Examples of bellow in a Sentence

He bellowed at her to come over at once.

He was bellowing into the phone, giving orders to one of his employees.

The sergeant was bellowing orders.

Recent Examples on the Web

The rifle bellows, and the buck scampers off, unhurt. —Jack O’Connor, Outdoor Life, 6 Nov. 2024

Since Covid, Newell, whose past hobbies have included race cars, knife collecting and Tuvan throat singing (a bellowing, throaty singing traditional to Central Asia) has been largely living on his yachts in an intense effort to avoid the virus. —Stephen Pastis, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

Steam engines bellowed into town, ringing the bell and tooting the train whistle to alert inhabitants that a new age of travel had arrived. —Curtis Varnell, arkansasonline.com, 22 Sep. 2024

Early attempts to replicate the human voice had involved the construction of mechanisms modelled on human anatomy: rubber lips, wooden teeth, bellows for lungs. —Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English belwen, from Old English bylgian; akin to Old English & Old High German bellan to roar

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

bellow

verb

bel·​low ˈbel-ō 

: to make a deep loud roar like that of a bull

bellow noun

Biographical Definition

Bellow

biographical name

Bel·​low ˈbe-(ˌ)lō 

Saul 1915–2005 American (Canadian-born) writer