bawl

[ bawl ]

/ bɔl /

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See synonyms for: bawl / bawling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to cry or wail lustily.

verb (used with object)

to utter or proclaim by outcry; shout out: to bawl one's dissatisfaction;bawling his senseless ditties to the audience.

to offer for sale by shouting, as a hawker: a peddler bawling his wares.

noun

a loud shout; outcry.

a period or spell of loud crying or weeping.

Chiefly Midland and Western U.S. the noise made by a calf.

Verb Phrases

bawl out, Informal. to scold vociferously; reprimand or scold vigorously: Your father will bawl you out when he sees this mess.

OTHER WORDS FOR bawl

1 howl, yowl, squall, roar, bellow, wail.

See synonyms for bawl on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of bawl

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin baulāre “to bark,” from Germanic; compare Old Norse baula “to low,” baula “cow,” perhaps a conflation of belja (see bell²) with an unrecorded old root bhu-

OTHER WORDS FROM bawl

bawl·er, nounout·bawl, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bawl

ball, bawl , bowl

Words nearby bawl

bawcock, bawd, bawdry, bawdy, bawdyhouse, bawl, bawling, bawl out, bawn, bawneen, Bax

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bawl in a sentence

That night, Faris saw a woman near her bawl and wide-eyed grown-ups run.
A girl’s reaction to the Nationals Park shooting made the world look at D.C.’s gun violence problem|Theresa Vargas|July 21, 2021|Washington Post
In fact, she doesn't seem happy till she gets it and I suspect that if I missed it any morning she would bawl for it.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
At first she wouldn't allow any one but me to milk her and would bawl if I attended to any of the other cows first.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
They sometimes, on particular occasions, would sing or bawl out something like a rude tune; but we could not understand it.
A Narrative of the Shipwreck, Captivity and Sufferings of Horace Holden and Benj. H. Nute|Horace Holden

We would jibe one another, laugh at a fellow to his chagrin, and when we were angry bawl each other out unmercifully.
The Iron Puddler|James J. Davis
Sharp and lively, I mean; not bawl, and answer over your back—most part impudence, and nothing else—and then out of hearing.
Rhoda Fleming, Complete|George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for bawl

bawl

/ (bɔːl) /

verb

(intr) to utter long loud cries, as from pain or frustration; wail

to shout loudly, as in anger

noun

a loud shout or cry

Derived forms of bawl

bawler, nounbawling, noun

Word Origin for bawl

C15: probably from Icelandic baula to low; related to Medieval Latin baulāre to bark, Swedish böla to low; all of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bawl

OTHER WORDS FOR bawl

Origin of bawl

OTHER WORDS FROM bawl

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH bawl

Words nearby bawl

Words related to bawl

How to use bawl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bawl

Derived forms of bawl

Word Origin for bawl