sob
verb (used without object)
to weep with a convulsive catching of the breath.
Jump To:
sob
1 American
[sob]
/ sɒb /
verb (used without object)
-
sobs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sobbed,
past participle, past
-
sobbing
present participle
-
to weep with a convulsive catching of the breath.
-
to make a sound resembling this.
verb (used with object)
-
sobs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sobbed,
past participle, past
-
sobbing
present participle
-
to utter with sobs.
-
to put, send, etc., by sobbing or with sobs.
to sob oneself to sleep.
noun
-
sobs
plural
-
the act of sobbing; a convulsive catching of the breath in weeping.
-
any sound suggesting this.
S.O.B.
2
American
Or
SOB
abbreviation
(sometimes lowercase)
sob
1
British
/ sɒb /
verb
-
(intr) to weep with convulsive gasps
-
(tr) to utter with sobs
-
to cause (oneself) to be in a specified state by sobbing
to sob oneself to sleep
noun
s.o.b.
2
British
abbreviation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sobsimple
-
sobssimple
-
have sobbedperfect
-
has sobbedperfect
-
am sobbingprogressive
-
are sobbingprogressive
-
is sobbingprogressive
-
have been sobbingperfect progressive
-
has been sobbingperfect progressive
Past
-
sobbedsimple
-
had sobbedperfect
-
was sobbingprogressive
-
were sobbingprogressive
-
had been sobbingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sob
1150–1200; Middle English sobben, apparently imitative
Explanation
If you're so upset you're crying loudly, taking in big gasps of air and heaving your chest, you are sobbing. Picture a child on the playground who has fallen and can't find his or her mother. The child's face is red and streaked with tears, and he or she is gasping from crying so hard. This poor little boy or girl is sobbing uncontrollably. Sometimes, while trying not to cry, you might let out a single sob. A "sob story" is a story meant to make you feel bad for someone, so bad you might sob for them.
Vocabulary lists containing sob
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Words for the High School Graduate
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Her eyes started brimming with tears during the final question, revealing that her last sob session occurred just that morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Suddenly, articulating what I saw—the creative writing projects I hoped to tackle, my pride at seeing my child launch into adulthood—I found myself stifling a sob.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“I’ll never forget this part of my life,” she said, and, behind sunglasses, began to sob.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
And Dana takes that pause to let a sob break through her hard surface.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2026
A sob filled his throat and spilled out of his mouth.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
“If you’re running a campaign and your candidate is seething at the other person, and all they can talk about is, ‘That S.O.B. is an idiot,’ they typically lose campaigns,” he said.
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2018
He famously savaged the hand that had fed him so well with S.O.B.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 16, 2010
He dropped in and out of favor, feuded with producers and famously satirized Hollywood in 1981's scathing "S.O.B."
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 16, 2010
"I had a lot of bitterness in me when I wrote the first draft," Edwards said of "S.O.B."
From Reuters ● Dec. 16, 2010
Working eight to ten hours a day for six weeks at his home in Switzerland, he churned out his first vengeful draft of S.O.B.
From Time Magazine Archive
Their inventiveness and stylishness keep the other characters from flying out of his orbit while keeping audiences riveted in their seats and even caring about the s.o.b.
From Time Magazine Archive
On the very next page Jake, stoic and aloof up to this point, sobs himself to sleep, alone.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Relatives crouched on the floor to say their final goodbyes to loved ones, kissing the faces of the dead between sobs.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
Between my sobs and his sighs, the other servers tucked past, wondering what was happening but not really wanting to deal with the crazy person watching their co-worker badger-dig into the bowels of this cabinet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Instead, the vice president claims “Erika told Usha between sobs that she regretted having only two kids with Charlie,” and that’s what changed his wife’s mind.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
She puts her face in her hands and sobs.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
When another who’d been shackled at the ankles was released, her family hugged her as she sobbed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
He sobbed over the radio inside his helmet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Rachel Reyes sobbed as she recounted the moments leading up to the death of her son, Martinez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Lindsay Clancy sobbed in court as a recording of her husband's 911 call played.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
“Daddy,” she sobbed, “we c-could of been nicer to that p-poor boy....”
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Instead, there’s just an awful lot of tears — and young Nagatani is by far the best at sobbing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The financial-literacy teacher opened it to find a sobbing student.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
At a portrait of Yevgeni Postel, a 25-year-old student, his mother laid a bouquet of flowers and broke down sobbing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Shirley, sitting in the agent’s office, sobbing, pleaded that agents aren’t supposed to drop stars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
So, sobbing and crying, they went about their way, half clad as they were, and prepared fire and water.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
