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• bellow
  bellow

  verb (used without object)

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

  noun

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

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

The true artist must be the voice of opposition, of negativity, and should bellow “No! in thunder”—the phrase is Melville’s—to the easy affirmations of our complacent society.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Those who stuck around seemed plenty willing to bellow along.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

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

I had no idea how long he’d been there—probably as long as the high-pitched whining had been sounding over the bellow of the engine—certainly minutes.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen