pule
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pule
First recorded in 1525–35; perhaps imitative
Explanation
To pule is to cry, but not loudly. Puling is weak, soft crying. It's a pathetic sound. Unfortunately, there are many ways to cry. You can bawl, which is loud crying. On the other end of the spectrum, you can pule. When you pule, you're crying weakly at a low volume. When dogs are scared, they often pule. Children sometimes pule when they don't get their way. People pule when they're sad, frightened, heartbroken, or tired. People pule when they don't have the energy to cry louder.
Vocabulary lists containing pule
"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Metamorphoses
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We pule again, and then we line up to scoop food onto our plates.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Once everyone is present, Tūtū opens us with a pule, prayer.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Oh, we pule and we prate, we are nerveless and weak, And we swallow, like Pistol, the odorous leek.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, August 1, 1891 by Various
Again, into as many more with a p; as, pate, pat, par, pall, peel, pell, pile, pill, pole, pond, pool, pule, purl, pull.
From The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown
Yet he did not whine and pule to them.
From The Long Night by Stanley John Weyman
McGinnis clung to the hearing room door as police puled him away.
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2026
The user contradicted Optus's claims the breach was "sophisticated", saying they puled the data from a freely accessible software interface.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2022
A raft rocked angrily as burly men puled on wires to tame it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2015
June 17. come down to Guantanamo Bay this morning, put some 300 tons of coal on and throde some shells over in an old Fort and then puled out right away for Santiago.
From The Voyage of the Oregon from San Francisco to Santiago in 1898 by R. Cross
Then he grasped the handle and puled, the section of bookshelves swung back like a door, and he found himself face to face with a great stack of petrol cans.
From Okewood of the Secret Service by Valentine Williams
“Some sectors are puling back on hiring intentions because their broader economic outlook is starting to become less rosy or they have industry-specific concerns,” said Nick Bunker, head of research at Indeed’s Hiring Lab.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 2, 2022
“I think he got caught and now he’s puling an excuse out from under the bed,” Adams said.
From Washington Times ● May 23, 2020
BST16:14 69 min Coleman drills a long one from right-back towards Walters, puling left.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 11, 2015
After the doors swung open, the crowd grew to more than 200 to collect their free issues with staffers puling titles from boxes on a wheeled, metal cargo crate by the counter.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2011
Why couldn't I dream of devoting myself to baby after fat puling baby like Dodo Conway?
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
