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

I'm sick of watching Tav lose it and start shouting and bawling at them all.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 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

"I was literally bawling my eyes out," she says as she remembers a chance meeting with someone who had decided to attend their very first festival after finding Lucy's social media page.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2025

He tells me an anecdote about a young woman who said she started bawling when Sean Dino Johnson — one of the real former inmates — rolls around on the floor playing with a sword.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

Fang curled in a ball, bawling after stepping off the Jefferson roof.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx