BAWL Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

bawl 1 of 2

verb

ˈbȯl

Definition of bawl

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

Relevance

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

bawl

2 of 2

noun

as in shriek

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bawl

Verb

The baby bawled, the women and girls tiptoed, and at last Lina and the Brown family reached the ground and ran across the street. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026 Al-Hashimi ends up bawling in her car about Robby’s lack of empathy and perhaps the hypocrisy of it all. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026

Noun

Instead, similar to other animals, newborn babies produce a heartbreaking (and ear-piercing) bawl. — 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl

Verb

Among them were a parent at her daughter’s school who recognized her on account of her voice alone and a dad on an airplane whose baby had been crying non-stop for over an hour.

— Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Another girl cried non-stop—possibly from fear and nervousness rather than sorrow.

— Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of cry

Verb

Moshier remembers when the team stopped at a fast-food restaurant on a road trip and Murphy yelled for everyone to get back to the bus.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Hill yelled at Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson after Wilson was accidentally knocked into him during Minnesota's game against Miami.

— Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of yell

Noun

The eye chart reads like a shriek, and the teddy bear has extra limbs.

— John Wilkerson, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
From 2007 through 2024, a similar shriek, from another eagle, could pull the attention of 20,000 men, women and children from the hot dogs in their laps and the game programs in their hands to the skies above.

— Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of shriek

Verb

Zheng clinched with her first match point chance, serving an ace to Andreeva’s backhand side, then fell to the court sobbing with emotion.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Five players and the referee tried to catch it, Steph recalled, while its owner sobbed on the sidelines.

— Vanda Mayer, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sob

Verb

Lil’ Randy shouts repeatedly as he is hauled off, a great ending to a pretty great episode.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
The drunk-and-disorderly charge is linked to a December incident, in which Minton is accused of shouting and cursing at patrons of a tattoo studio in Hickory, court records show.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of shout

Noun

Our Chesapeake Bay Retriever dog saw them too and enthusiastically let out a small whine.

— Kody Lostroh, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
The mystic whine of Christine Ott and Mathieu Gabry’s score carries us into a hidden world of ancient Thai deities living inside the mountain’s caves and tunnels.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of whine

Verb

The prosecutor argued the beatings basically never stopped, claiming footage showed nannies beating one child, then turning their violence toward any of the other toddlers who wept while watching.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Ambulances were seen leaving the hospital to bring the children's bodies home as mourners wept and wailed.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of weep

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“Bawl.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bawl

verb

noun

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Synonyms of bawl

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Phrases Containing bawl

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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jilt

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Popular in Wordplay

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Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

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