bellow

¹ American  

[bel-oh] / ˈbɛl oʊ /

verb (used without object)

1. to emit a hollow, loud, animal cry, as a bull or cow.

2. to roar; bawl.

   bellowing with rage.

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verb (used with object)

1. to utter in a loud deep voice.

   He bellowed his command across the room.

noun

1. an act or sound of bellowing.

Bellow ² American  

[bel-oh] / ˈbɛl oʊ /

noun

1. Saul, 1915–2005, U.S. novelist, born in Canada: Nobel Prize in Literature 1976.

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bellow ¹ British  

/ ˈbɛləʊ /

verb

1. (intr) to make a loud deep raucous cry like that of a bull; roar

2. to shout (something) unrestrainedly, as in anger or pain; bawl

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noun

1. the characteristic noise of a bull

2. a loud deep sound, as of pain or anger

Bellow ² British  

/ ˈbɛləʊ /

noun

1. Saul . 1915–2005, US novelist, born in Canada. His works include Dangling Man (1944), The Adventures of Angie March (1954), Herzog (1964), Humboldt's Gift (1975), The Dean's December (1981), and Ravelstein (2000): Nobel prize for literature 1976

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Related Words

See cry.

Other Word Forms

• bellower noun
• outbellow verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of bellow

before 1000; Middle English belwen, akin to Old English bylgan to roar (compare for the vowel Old High German bullôn ); extended form akin to bell ²

Explanation

To bellow is to shout in a deep, angry voice. If you constantly bellow at other drivers on the road, consider signing up for anger management classes. Bellow comes from Middle English, and means "to roar like a bull." A cow's deep moo is called a low, so bellow just adds a big angry bull to the standard moo. We use bellow for human speech that has that angry power of a loud bovine, or for any loud, threatening noise. It can be a noun, as in the bellow of the thundercloud, or a verb, as when you bellow at your kid brother.

Example Sentences

Being a line judge usually means being able to stand for a long period of time and, crucially, bellow out the call in a way that makes it obvious what is happening.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

Then he gently squeezes a bellow, pouring smoke into the hives of honeybees in his garden.

From Salon • Nov. 14, 2024

Beyond the hanging pendant lights of the Liberties, a modern Irish pub in downtown L.A., waves of laughter bellow from a private event room.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 14, 2023

As lead research biologist for the California Killer Whale Project, Alisa Schulman-Janiger has seen humpbacks bellow at, throw water on, and physically assault orcas trying to feed on a fresh kill.

From National Geographic • Sep. 7, 2023

We hear Principal Principal bellow, “Let’s move it, people!”

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson