SOB Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

sob 1 of 2

verb

ˈsäb

Definition of sob

as in to cry

to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress the child sobbed when she found the dead frog

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sob

2 of 2

noun

as in tears

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Dissimilar Words

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 sob

Verb

Moaning, sobbing, pleading, the woman grasps the hand of her daughter, Ema (Mercedes Morán). — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026 His family members hugged each other and sobbed, but still declined comment after the sentence. — Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Noun

Ramzan imagined her sobs echoing inside the ladies’ room of Goldman Sachs, there on the thirty-second floor of a glass-and-steel tower. — Literary Hub, 4 May 2026 One juror burst into loud sobs after a detective displayed three plastic pots that had held Jimmy‘s remains. — Amy Driscoll, Miami Herald, 3 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for sob

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sob

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

Noun

One of us would be chosen to recite the poem onstage—a kitsch performance, no doubt, so that an auditorium of adults would be moved to tears.

— Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
The first days of testimony brought tears from witnesses, spectators and jurors, the 9th Street Journal reported.

— Leigh Egan, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of tears

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

Browse Nearby Words

soars

sob

sobbed

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Style

“Sob.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sob. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sob

verb

noun

Example Sentences

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