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:
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
But the sob in Tyler’s vocal made her recording — a No. 3 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 — the one to weep along with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 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
Ophie watched him sob brokenly for a moment before feeling guilty about intruding and closing the door with a soft click.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
I may have been one of the best actors in M.M.A., because I convinced the whole world I was a mean S.O.B. but really never wanted to hurt anybody.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2013
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
Andrews also appeared in 1982's "Victor/Victoria," which earned Edwards an Oscar nomination for the screenplay, and the dark comedy "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
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
Seeing all this, a woman kneels and cries out between sobs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
She says she felt the stares of the press sitting behind her in the gallery, taking notes on her body language and her daughter Ashley’s sobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
Eunhee could hardly get her words out through sobs as her teenage son clasped his hand to his mouth.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026
Then the muffled noise of sobs—gasping, terrible sobs which went on for a long while.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Rachel Reyes sobbed as she recounted the moments leading up to the death of her son, Martinez.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Skopova and the 15-year-old girl sobbed throughout the hearing.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
When she realised she would be avoiding jail Blackwell sobbed in relief and agreed to the judge's demand that she pay at a rate of £400 a month.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The professor "curled into a ball" in her office and "just sobbed" upon hearing of the death.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Baachan tried to stir the soup as she sobbed.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
"This has been one of the most beautiful extraordinary experiences of my life and I just wanted to express my gratitude without sobbing completely," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
"We had to do this to set his soul free, so that he is at peace and happy wherever he is," she said, flanked by her sobbing son.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
“I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing, and there are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The movie has a pastoral coziness and lots of silly humor, but it’s also a moving meditation on death that has adults sobbing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Sancho, the niece, and the housekeeper could not stop sobbing.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Definitions 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.
