bellow

[ bel-oh ]

/ ˈbɛl oʊ /

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See synonyms for bellow on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

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

to roar; bawl: bellowing with rage.

verb (used with object)

to utter in a loud deep voice: He bellowed his command across the room.

noun

an act or sound of bellowing.

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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 bell²

synonym study for bellow

2. See cry.

OTHER WORDS FROM bellow

bel·low·er, nounoutbellow, verb (used with object)

Other definitions for bellow (2 of 2)

Bellow

[ bel-oh ]

/ ˈbɛl oʊ /

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bellow in a sentence

The elephants flap their ears, bellow and place their trunks in each other’s mouths.
In the animal kingdom, rituals that connect, renew and heal|Barbara King|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
Well, you may be surprised to learn that the sound designers of Jurassic Park mixed that very noise into a slew of other animal yips and yaps to create the iconic dinosaur’s bellow.
Imagine traveling to the moon only to realize you’re allergic to it. One astronaut did.|PopSci Staff|November 25, 2020|Popular-Science
Barzan remained standing and bellowed, “I will not sit down,” adding, “This court is illegal and the daughter of adultery.”
Iraqi Insurgents Circulate the Lie That They Killed the Judge in Saddam’s Trial|Michael Newton|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We will reform a broken stop-and-frisk policy to protect the dignity and rights of young men of color,” he bellowed.
The NYPD’s Racist War on Pot|Abby Haglage|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The Chinese public had waited so long for their Ping-Pong Spring that they bellowed constant approval of the rout.
How to Hide a Famine with Ping-Pong|Nicholas Griffin|January 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Quinn hugged the woman and bellowed, “They may have to bleep ya!”
As Christine Quinn Fades, Why Aren’t More Women Winning?|David Freedlander|September 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“Attention, Costco buyers … ” Rivers bellowed through a bullhorn at the Burbank, Calif., location of the superstore chain.
Joan Rivers’s Best Insults (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|November 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instantly the wind swept howling down upon the Head, and the Roost bellowed, and churned, and danced with a new fury.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XXI|Robert Louis Stevenson
Men shouted, women screamed, cattle bellowed, and sheep bleated; while a shot or so told that something warlike was afoot.
The Cradle of Mankind|W.A. Wigram
He bellowed an angry command, but the Bugi closed his eyes and lowered his head resignedly, nodding in negation.
The Argus Pheasant|John Charles Beecham
Bullfrogs bellowed, tree-frogs bleated like lost lambs, crickets shrilled, and owls hooted.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends|Stanley R. Matthews
Again the cloud spat blue fire, and the thunder bellowed angrily over the fast darkening forest.
Motor Matt's Daring, or, True to His Friends|Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for bellow (1 of 2)

bellow

/ (ˈbɛləʊ) /

verb

(intr) to make a loud deep raucous cry like that of a bull; roar

to shout (something) unrestrainedly, as in anger or pain; bawl

noun

the characteristic noise of a bull

a loud deep sound, as of pain or anger

Derived forms of bellow

bellower, noun

Word Origin for bellow

C14: probably from Old English bylgan; related to bellan to bell ²

British Dictionary definitions for bellow (2 of 2)

Bellow

/ (ˈbɛləʊ) /

noun

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

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

bellow

Origin of bellow

synonym study for bellow

OTHER WORDS FROM bellow

Other definitions for bellow (2 of 2)

Words related to bellow

How to use bellow in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bellow (1 of 2)

Derived forms of bellow

Word Origin for bellow

British Dictionary definitions for bellow (2 of 2)