bawl

[bawl]

verb (used without object)

1. to cry or wail lustily.

   Synonyms: wail, bellow, roar, squall, yowl, howl

verb (used with object)

1. to utter or proclaim by outcry; shout out.

   to bawl one's dissatisfaction;

   bawling his senseless ditties to the audience.

2. to offer for sale by shouting, as a hawker.

   a peddler bawling his wares.

noun

1. a loud shout; outcry.

2. a period or spell of loud crying or weeping.

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

verb phrase

1. bawl out,  to scold vociferously; reprimand or scold vigorously.

   Your father will bawl you out when he sees this mess.

bawl

/ bɔːl /

verb

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

2. to shout loudly, as in anger

noun

1. a loud shout or cry

Other Word Forms

• bawler noun
• bawling noun
• outbawl verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of bawl¹

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 ( bell ² ) with an unrecorded old root bhu-

Word History and Origins

Origin of bawl¹

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

Example Sentences

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

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

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"I was like: 'Who is this girl bawling her eyes out?'" she says with amusement - adding that she was one of the only islanders who "came for the right reason" and had "depth".

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“I bawled my eyes out as if I’d lost the love of my life, and that, for me as a person — what a gift, because it’s fake but it was real for me.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It is claimed he swore at and insulted staff, bawling someone out as an "imbecile" for not using the Queen Mother's full title.

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Related Words

• holler