bawl

1 of 2

verb

ˈbȯl 

bawled; bawling; bawls

intransitive verb

1

: to cry out loudly and unrestrainedly

a sergeant bawling at his troops

2

: to cry loudly : wail

He lay on his bed, bawling uncontrollably.

transitive verb

: to cry out at the top of one's voice

"Get out of the car!" she bawled.

bawler noun

bawl

2 of 2

noun

: a loud prolonged cry : outcry

… political bawls and bellows about cattle prices …

—Time

Synonyms

Verb

• blub [chiefly British]
• blubber
• cry
• sob
• weep

Examples of bawl in a Sentence

Verb

“Get in the car!” he bawled.

he bawled for days after his dog died

Recent Examples on the Web

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

As the weekend’s big game approached, David Singleton could have staged his own super bawl. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022

That night, Faris saw a woman near her bawl and wide-eyed grown-ups run. —Washington Post, 21 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to bark, probably of Germanic origin; akin to Icelandic baula to low

Noun

noun derivative of bawl entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1533, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1566, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bawl

• bawl one's eyes out
• bawl out

Kids Definition

bawl

1 of 2 verb

ˈbȯl 

1

: to shout or cry out loudly : yell

2

: to weep noisily

bawler noun

bawl

2 of 2 noun

: a loud cry