Showing Results for "bawling"

See Also:

• present participle of bawl.

bawling

American  

[baw-ling] / ˈbɔ lɪŋ /

adjective

1. crying or wailing lustily.

   On one of our trips we were kept awake most of the night by a bawling kid—and that kid was you!

   The mooing, bawling calf seemed to be an orphan.

2. shouting loudly, especially to be heard outdoors, over other noise, or by a large group.

   He’s doing his basic training under a bawling drill sergeant who screams orders at the recruits.

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noun

1. the act of crying, wailing, or shouting.

   After recess I have to put up with the bawling of kids at each other across the classroom, still arguing about playtime disputes.

Etymology

Origin of bawling

First recorded in 1570–80; bawl ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; bawl ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

Stripped of his invulnerability, Homelander wilts into a bawling wimp, begging for his life on his knees.

From Salon • May 24, 2026

“I just remember bawling all morning and just feeling so stressed,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

He added that after performing in front of the cast they were "bawling their eyes out".

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2025

But the book comes superbly to life in its character sketches, its bawling dialogue and its rugged sense of place.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

Mrs. Holton was the first to untangle herself from the crying party when her two children saw what was going on and commenced bawling too.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis